


Crimson Black

by Hajinnie



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Action & Romance, Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Blood and Violence, Breaking Celibacy Vows, Byun Baekhyun & Do Kyungsoo | D.O Friendship, Character Development, Cognitive Dissonance, Dark Comedy, Dark Fantasy, Demons, Developing Relationship, Dominant Bottom, Drama & Romance, Eventual Romance, Fem!Kyungsoo, Genderbending, I genderbent a few others too soz, I need to make Kyungsoo a girl to sin so much, I'll add this as I go along as usual, Internal Conflict, Multi, Priests, Public Nudity, Religious Imagery & Symbolism, Sexual Inexperience, Slow Burn, Thriller, War, Worldbuilding, fem!baekhyun, fem!suho, past!Kaisoo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-17
Updated: 2017-10-15
Packaged: 2018-12-16 13:00:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 21
Words: 82,234
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11829261
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hajinnie/pseuds/Hajinnie
Summary: fem!Kyungsoo is an eccentric vegan demon who only hunts her own kind and will not even touch a human. Chanyeol is an exorcist priest who has sworn to banish all demons back to Hell. Their paths cross and through a series of cognitive dissonance, they learn that either side might not be so bad after all.





	1. Your naked body is 11/10

**Author's Note:**

> I've been thinking about this AU but I wanted to try writing an OTP I don't usually write. I decided to do Chansoo and I had to genderbend Kyungsoo just so I can sin more :D :D :D :D :D D:

 

There are people who believe in the supernatural and the existence of demons and spirits alike. There are also those who do not believe in it, favoring logic and science above it. Although hidden from the view of most people, demons do exist and so do the exorcists who hunt them. Park Chanyeol is one of these exorcists working for a secret organization within the Vatican Church called the Holy Cross Order.

The existence of demons and Hell are well described and depicted within numerous religious scriptures throughout the world. Although the belief was predominant and widespread in classical times, due to the rise of technology and science the majority of the human population has stopped believing in such things now deemed as “fairy tales”.

The Holy Cross Order is fully funded and run by the Vatican Church, although the order’s existence is kept a secret from the public to avoid discouragement from their activities. The Holy Cross Order’s main objective and goal lies in hunting and exorcizing demons back to Hell, to prevent them from preying on humans. The exorcists of the Holy Cross Order are also clergyman and women themselves.

 

Demons come from and mostly reside in Hell. A number of demons who have been granted the permission by Lucifer are able to reside in the living world, where they prey on desperate humans by granting them their wishes and consuming their souls. Often if not always, the human’s body is also eaten after their soul has been devoured. Demons are depicted in imagery to having terrifying and hideous forms. However, demons actually assume physical appearances similar to that of humans and the fact makes it easier for them to slip and blend in with humans.

Despite that; demons are still weak from exposure to sunlight, rock salt, holy water and the readings of religious scriptures. Although the higher ranked demons are more resistant towards those items and can even walk under the sun without being harmed, it greatly weakens them and puts them at a disadvantage.

In order to differentiate a human from a demon, a special cross is worn by the Holy Cross members. The silver cross, made by the R&D department in the Vatican City, is able to glow when in proximity with a demon. The cross is named the Holy Cross and also the origin of the Order’s name.

Raised in a religious Catholic family, Chanyeol’s ambition had always been to be an exorcist. He greatly despises demons and promised to rid the living world of all demons and banish them back to the fiery depths of Hell which they came from. Chanyeol moved to the Vatican City after graduating from a Catholic high school to become a clergyman who had also sworn his celibacy. Chanyeol joined the Holy Cross Order and soon raised the ranks to be one of the strongest exorcists of the order at just twenty-six years old.   
Now, Chanyeol was reassigned back to his hometown in Seoul after a surge in demon related incidents.

 

 

Kyungsoo, a demon, had seen and done it all. Despite maintaining the youthful appearance of a woman in her mid to late twenties, she was older than most if not all the exorcists who hunted after her. Kyungsoo sat atop a high communication tower watching the view of Seoul city below her. Kyungsoo wasn’t even her real name. She had picked the name from some famous singer she saw in a human magazine and thought it sounded nice. She did not really care that it even came from a male singer. It was important that demons did not reveal their true names to humans as it could be used against them.

It was a windy and gloomy September evening. The strong wind from the high elevation blew off the hood of her crimson red cape, revealing Kyungsoo’s long black hair which fluttered in the wind. The cape was an official uniform of the Hell government worn by officers. Kyungsoo never wore anything beneath the cape but her boots. Kyungsoo did not like getting blood and guts on her clothes. Kyungsoo also always wore the hood up on her cape to hide her distinct hair color. All demons had light hair and Kyungsoo was the only one with black hair due to a secret she hid. If Kyungsoo’s parents weren’t high ranking demons, she would have been severely bullied for it in Hell.

Kyungsoo did not really enjoy being in the human world and wanted to return to Hell as soon as possible. Kyungsoo clicked her tongue in annoyance as she could not return once she was done with her task. Kyungsoo had a rather penchant distaste for humans and being in their world sickened her. Kyungsoo would not even set foot into the human world if not her duty.

Several demons had gone rogue against Lucifer and had attempted to overthrow the King of Hell in a failed coup de tat. The said demons had fled persecution from Hell and hid in the human world. After receiving Intel from other demons, their location and whereabouts were discovered and Kyungsoo was sent to execute them. Kyungsoo would be what the humans called a police in Hell. Her task was to capture other demons that had broken the law and even execute them.

Chanyeol and his new senior partner, Kim Jongdae, had also received information from the numerous Vatican spies regarding a group of demons posing as humans and now living in a penthouse of a high rise building. That night; Chanyeol and Jongdae dressed in their black clergyman uniform and armed with their tools of trade were going to hunt all the demons down. Unknown to them, they were not the only one hunting the same demons that night.

 

Kyungsoo waited for nightfall before she scaled the nearby high-rise building with just her arms and legs. Demons were blessed with physical strength and fast regeneration that above humans, but in return are weak to common items that humans had no problem with. Kyungsoo reached the top of the opposite building from where she could see the penthouse, before running off the edge and crashing herself into the penthouse window.

Kyungsoo rolled a few times through the shattered glass before she caught her footing in the penthouse. “Whew, that hurt a little bit. I should stop doing that but I did look cool”. Kyungsoo commented as she stood up and brushed off glass pieces off of her cape.

The rogue demons saw her intrusion and began to panic. “The Great Bitch is after us!” They screamed to alert each other.

“Hey, that’s not very nice.” Kyungsoo scowled, slightly offended. Kyungsoo very well knew the infamous nickname other demons had given her, although she wasn’t a fan of it to say the least. As a demon who hunted other demons, it was expected not everyone would like her.

 

 

Kyungsoo was not known as the Great Bitch for no reason. All of Hell knew and feared her power, and even suspected she was the bastard child of Lucifer, although that would make things insanely weird and incestuous regarding her previous relationship.

Within a few minutes, Kyungsoo with her bare hands had ripped out all the throats of the twelve demons that hid in the penthouse. It was one of the reasons why Kyungsoo enjoyed killing naked and only wearing the crimson cape. Demons too have blood and it had splattered everywhere including on her. A crimson cape would hardly be stained from blood as it was about the same color.

The strong September wind was still blowing as it came into the penthouse through the shattered glass window and causing a draft in the room.

Kyungsoo sat on a dead body as she saw another still struggling. “Oh, you’re still alive?”

Kyungsoo pulled the demon by the hair and laid a hand on his face before crushing it slowly but firmly. Kyungsoo’s hand crushed him all the way until his skull cracked under her fingers and his head exploded from the pressure, sending blood and brain bits splashing everywhere. A piece of the brain landed in her mouth and Kyungsoo gagged as she spat it out.

Kyungsoo tried wiping her mouth with her cape to rid the taste. “Ugh, that’s horrible.”

Demons are known to eat humans but although uncommon, they do cannibalize each other. There is no law preventing demons from eating each other, although it is frowned upon and usually only acceptable to be done to a demon’s slain enemies. Kyungsoo had never eaten neither a fellow demon nor a human for that matter, and thought it was unappealing to her. Also, Kyungsoo was a vegan and any sort of meat absolutely turned her off. The irony was that she killed for a living.

Kyungsoo spat on the dead body of her kin, in an effort to try and get rid of the taste lingering on her tongue. “Fucking horrible”, Kyungsoo cursed.

 

 

At that moment, Kyungsoo heard the door being broken down. Kyungsoo stood up and looked towards the door, wanting to see who it was. Kyungsoo had to squint to look. Her eyesight was nowhere near perfect and she had slight astigmatism. Kyungsoo usually wore glasses but avoided doing so on mission as she didn’t want to clean the blood off.

There, two priests dressed in black armed with silver spears and crosses appeared in front of her after they had broken down the door. Kyungsoo came face to face with the priests who were quite surprised at the bloody scene in front of them. They were even surprised at the sight of a naked woman in front of them in nothing but a bloody cape. Kyungsoo’s face was covered by the hood but her figure was fully exposed below the shoulders. The cape mostly only covered her back.

“Holy Jesus!” Jongdae swore and covered his eyes with his hands. “Woman, don’t you know any decency?”

Kyungsoo thought it was funny and pressed her modest sized breasts together. “Do you like it?”

Jongdae peaked slightly through his fingers before closing them back together. “Oh God no!”

Chanyeol stood still with a serious face. “Jongdae sunbaenim, that’s no woman. That’s a demon and I think she killed all the other ones here too.”

Jongdae regained his composure immediately and his body language suggested he was ready to brace for a clash.

Chanyeol threateningly pointed the Vatican issued spear towards Kyungsoo. The spearhead was made of silver and blessed with holy water, especially made for lancing demons. “Stay right there you filthy demon.” Chanyeol commanded.

Kyungsoo sighed and habitually clicked her tongue. “This was not part of the job.”

Kyungsoo made the dash, running to the gap of the window which glass she had shattered. Kyungsoo stood on the edge forty floors above ground level. The wind was exceptionally strong especially near the window. Behind her were Jongdae and Chanyeol. They maintained a distance from and had cornered her.

“Surrender and we’ll make this easy.” Jongdae tried to negotiate calmly

Chanyeol being the younger hot headed one bellowed at the top of his voice. “Don’t move you filthy cursed demon spawn.”

The hood on Kyungsoo’s cape blew off her head from the wind. Kyungsoo’s face was turned to the window and it was hard to see her face clearly in the dark too. Kyungsoo’s jet black hair blew together with the wind. Jongdae and Chanyeol were surprised at seeing a dark haired demon. The two priests turned to look at each other in surprise before returning the attention to Kyungsoo. They were less surprised at Kyungsoo’s nudity than they were at the color of her hair.

Without any warning and to the surprise of both Chanyeol and Jongdae, Kyungsoo leapt off out the window and disappeared into the night from within sight.

 

 

Kyungsoo now fully dressed in clothes that makes her blend in with the humans waits by the roadside until a black car pulls up at the curb. Kyungsoo gets into the backseat where a middle aged man well dressed in a white suit is seated with his legs crossed.

“I did what you told me to, uncle.” Kyungsoo spoke as the car began to move. “Now can you stop bothering me to go to the human world? I hate this place.”

The man addressed as Kyungsoo’s uncle smiled at her. “You did well indeed. His Majesty will be pleased to know that you have eliminated his enemies. It’s important that our family maintain favor in the King’s eye after all-” Kyungsoo’s uncle paused before he continue his sentence “-ever since you divorced the King’s son, Jongin-“

Kyungsoo crossed her arms and sighed, cutting off her uncle midway. “Don’t talk about Jongin. We’re done, uncle.”

“Well…” Kyungsoo’s uncle shrugged.

“Don’t say a word.” Kyungsoo shook her head. “Not unless it’s about work. I don’t want to hear it.”

 

Jongin wasn’t his real name either, but a faux name used to his real one. Jongin was Kyungsoo’s ex-husband. Kyungsoo’s uncle and mother are Generals of Hell who worked alongside King Lucifer. Kyungsoo was close in age to Jongin and due to the longevity of demons and low birth rate in Hell; it was actually hard to find a person around your age. Jongin and Kyungsoo had bonded over this, and Kyungsoo being the naïve one had fallen in love fast and head over heels.

Jongin is the eldest child of Lucifer and the heir to the throne. Jongin being the Crown Prince of Hell, Kyungsoo always thought she would never have a chance with him until she became pregnant with their child. Lucifer who heard of this immediately married the both of them and it turned out that Jongin actually did love her back.

Kyungsoo and Jongin had a son known by the faux name, Sehun, who is also a Prince and currently the second in line to the throne after Jongin. Now that Sehun was an adult himself, Kyungsoo and Jongin began to grow apart and eventually divorced a year ago. Sehun was the only reason Kyungsoo still met up to see Jongin. Once every month, the three of them would come together to have dinner as a family. Sehun had also recently graduated Hell Military Academy and they had come together to celebrate his graduation. So far, they had managed to keep it civilized for Sehun’s sake.

Jongin certainly still did love Kyungsoo, although she was unsure of her feelings towards him anymore. Jongin had not yet even stripped Kyungsoo of the royal titles she had obtained through marriage, which should have been the case after the divorce. Jongin simply believed Kyungsoo was going through her quarter-millennium crisis, similar to a human’s midlife crisis but faced by demons that have recently turned 250 years old. Somehow, Jongin always believed Kyungsoo would come back to him.

 

 

“Fuck”. Chanyeol cursed and slammed a fist down onto his wooden desk back at the Holy Cross Korean branch.

The branch office occupied a small part of a Catholic Church building. It was a small office with six or seven desks with wooden furniture and a large crucifix hanging on the wall.

Jongdae sitting at the desk across Chanyeol was slightly startled. “Are you alright, Father Chanyeol?” Jongdae politely addressed Chanyeol with his title.

“I’m alright sunbaenim”, Chanyeol lied and sunk back onto his chair placing his face in his hands to hide the frustration on his face.

“Are you sure? I’m here for you if anything.” Jongdae reassured from across him.

“Thank you.” Chanyeol placed his hands down to look at Jongdae. “I was frustrated that we let that black haired demon escape. That was such a case I wanted to solve and now we have no leads on her. I’ve never seen a demon kill other demons and certainly not one with black hair either.”

“I’ve worked on a few cases of demons killing each other but I’ve never seen one with black hair either.” Jongdae regarded, folding his arms across his chest.

“Well, we’ll find her hopefully. Did you open a new case file for the demon yet?” Chanyeol questioned.

“Yeah, I did. I also drew a sketch of what I think she looks like so the other exorcists can know it’s her. I wasn’t sure about the other details so I just put what I thought was right.” Jongdae reached into his drawer to retrieve a brown manila folder. “You can fill in the rest or correct it.”

Chanyeol walked over to Jongdae’s desk to read the case file. Kyungsoo had been code named “Black” due to the color of her hair. Chanyeol skimmed through the file.

_Codename: Black_  
Status: Alive and active  
Gender: Female  
Real name: -  
Physical appearance: 20s  
Presumed Height: 168cm-173cm  
Presumed Weight: 55-65kg  
Hair color: Black  
Eye color: -  
Distinct characteristics: Naked. Doesn’t wear clothes  
Threat level: Low. So far only hunts demons. Unknown threat to humans.

Chanyeol silently eyed and judged Jongdae at the naked remark. Chanyeol sort of guessed that Jongdae was a closeted pervert. What baffled Chanyeol even more was the alleged sketch that Jongdae had drawn. It was basically the picture of a stick figure with a potato for a head. Chanyeol shook his head while Jongdae wasn’t looking.

 

Living a celibate was life wasn’t that easy. They were still regular men with biological needs and urges. However, this was the path they had willingly chosen to devote their life to. Chanyeol admitted to having less than pure intrusive thoughts at times, but always caught himself before divulging into further. Reading the bible and praying seemed to put his mind at ease to drive the thoughts away. At the more graphic thoughts, Chanyeol even considered bathing himself in holy water and getting Jongdae to baptize him again to clear him of the sins.

Chanyeol was rather proud to admit that he had never seen a woman’s naked body. Chanyeol did not consider Kyungsoo as the first naked woman he saw because she was a “filthy demon” to him who was only trying to stray him from god’s path.

Despite going to a religious school, Chanyeol had classmates who attended the school by their parent’s wishes and not the least bit interested in religious values. They were what he’d consider “sinful”. Chanyeol was also proud to say that he resisted the urge to glance at a classmates’ porn magazine he found under the desk during class cleanup.

 

The night after meeting Kyungsoo for the first time, Chanyeol dreamt of her naked body straddling him in his own bed. Chanyeol may have been celibate but not ignorant the least bit. He very well knew what sex was from sex education classes. Chanyeol did not seem to mind sex education as it was for education and he believed it was to bless upon god’s gift to mankind to reproduce, and to spread the Lord’s teaching further through one’s descendants.

The dream did not stop there. In the dream, Kyungsoo was riding Chanyeol’s dick as she moaned loudly throwing her head back while letting her hips do the job. Chanyeol could feel the warmth of her body against him and the view of her breasts bouncing around was certainly a sight to behold. Chanyeol did not know how she looked like and his brain had made up some random image of her face which he didn’t remember anyway. Just as he was about to reach his climax in the dream, Chanyeol screamed awake. Chanyeol was glad he lived alone because he literally screamed so loud that he woke himself up.

He woke up and found his dick in his boxers throbbing and half hard. There was also a questionable stain on the front of his boxers. Chanyeol hated himself for actually enjoying it.

“No I wiil not be pulled down to commit a sin. I’ve just been tempted by a demon. That filthy demon.” Chanyeol reached for the bible and rosary on his nightstand. Holding the rosary in one hand, Chanyeol made sure to read the bible until his erection had subsided and he no longer thought of Kyungsoo’s sinful body. Chanyeol didn’t deny it but it was slightly uncomfortable and for once in his almost twenty-seven years of life, Chanyeol felt what it meant to have blue balls.

 

The following morning, Chanyeol walked into work with dark circles under his eyes and his clergyman uniform all improperly buttoned up. His moppy hair which he usually combed back was in a state of disarray and he was walking slowly with shoulders slouched.

“Are you ok?” Jongdae asked from his desk. He was slightly concerned to find the usually neat and in order Chanyeol to look like that.

“Sunbaenim, can you pretend I’m a baby and baptize me again?” Chanyeol slouched onto his chair and sighed, covering his eyes with the back of his hand.

“What?” Jongdae’s glasses almost fell off his face.

 

 

Two weeks later, Jongdae and Chanyeol corner another demon they have been hunting, who was hiding behind an abandoned building of about five floors. It was raining that day and they had exorcised the demon right there and then. An exorcism ritual wasn’t the nicest thing to watch. Pregnant women, children, the elderly and sick people were usually refrained from witnessing an exorcism due to that.

Unknown to them, Kyungsoo was watching them from above the building. As they were about to leave, Chanyeol felt as if he was being watched and looked up. The rain fell in his eyes, slightly obscuring his view. Chanyeol was just in time to see a glance of Kyungsoo’s crimson cape and her flowing black hair before she disappeared from view.

 


	2. I've never actually seen you with clothes on

 

“Damn it, pick up the phone.” Kyungsoo cursed into the phone as she kept hearing the dialing tone and the person on the other side not answering.

Out of frustration, Kyungsoo slammed down her phone on the table of the BBQ restaurant she was at. It had been three weeks and Kyungsoo was still unable to return to Hell. She was assigned another target still loose in Seoul city and had been staying in a cramped studio apartment since then. Kyungsoo’s uncle ran a rather large business in the human world but was too cheap to provide her a decent living space, although he gave her an allowance to live by.

Kyungsoo was also left without any clear leads or information of her target which frustrated her even more. Kyungsoo had not been able to trace down her target due to the vague details she was provided with. Kyungsoo now just wanted to get it done with and return to Hell.

Kyungsoo slammed the phone so hard she almost shattered the glass and cracked the table below it. The waitress standing at Kyungsoo’s table to take her order was slightly startled.

“Are you alright?” the waitress asked slightly nervous. “May I know what you want provided for your BBQ?”

“Give me one serving of all the vegetables you have, please.” Kyungsoo answered without looking to the waitress, pushing up the glasses on her face with her middle finger.

“No meat?” the waitress asked to make sure. “Our beef is the local specialty here. You shou-“

“No. I’m a vegan”, Kyungsoo was annoyed and it showed in her voice, slightly coming off as rude. She was in no mood to start a conversation.

 

It was considerably sunny in the afternoon. Kyungsoo wouldn’t have left to go outside when it was sunny if she wasn’t hungry and craving for BBQ vegetables. As an averagely high ranking demon, Kyungsoo wasn’t harmed by sunlight but prolonged exposure to it gave her migraines and nausea for days on end. Kyungsoo wore a dark blue hoodie with the hood on and long jeans to hide herself from the sun. Kyungsoo walked in streets in the shadow of the tall buildings surrounding it.

On the way back to her apartment, Kyungsoo was stopped by a tall woman in sunglasses and standing under an umbrella under a tree, obviously to hide herself from the sun too.

“Oh look if it isn’t the Great Bitch” the tall woman mentioned.

Kyungsoo sighed. “When will people stop with that nickname? Also, I tried to call you earlier but you didn’t pick up the phone.”

“Sorry about that. I was a bit caught up” the woman apologized. “Personally I’d take it as a compliment” the woman added regarding Kyungsoo’s infamous nickname.

Kyungsoo clicked her tongue out of habit. The tall woman was no stranger to Kyungsoo. Known by the faux name of Alexandra, she is the personal assistant and secretary of Kyungsoo’s uncle. Alexandra is also Kyungsoo’s contact while in the human world.

“If you’re here then I expect you have something for me.” Kyungsoo was determined to cut to the chase so she could be done as soon as possible.

“I do. We found your target. Her name is Olga. She is injured from a battle in Hell and has fled to the human world. She is wanted for being a soldier in the resistant army against His Majesty the King.” Alexandra passed Kyungsoo a map of the district with several locations marked out, and a picture of Olga for reference. “She could be at any one of these locations.”

“Finally, there is actually information I could work with.” Kyungsoo mentioned as she looked through the map.

Alexandra fixed the sunglasses on her face and before she left, mentioned, “Oh, please be cautious. In the state Olga is in now, I expect the human exorcists to be coming after her too. Better our own kind to finish her off than a human.”

Kyungsoo looked up from the map in her hands. “I’ll take care of it.”

 

Jongdae and Chanyeol had just returned from a house in which a young girl was allegedly said to have been possessed by a demon. The worried child’s mother had contacted the church who in turn contacted them. They had gone there but found out the child was not actually possessed and was suffering from a mental condition. The mother had refused to believe her daughter was mentally ill and was persistent about the child being possessed.

After the other relatives cleared and apologized for the misunderstanding, Jongdae offered to bless the house instead as consolation before leaving. On the way back, Jongdae and Chanyeol decided to stop at a BBQ place for lunch. They had arrived just a few minutes after Kyungsoo had left the place. They were regulars at the place and knew the waitress well. She ended up complaining to them about a vegan who came there, a meat specialty place, who also almost broke the table with her palm.

 

Demon possessions are usually less common than running into one in flesh and blood. Demons themselves have physical forms and do not need to possess humans to enter the living world. Possession itself is outlawed and deemed an offense in Hell, as only demons that have greatly caused grievance to humans are barred from entering the human world; thus needing to possess a body to cross over.

Lucifer, the strongest demon alive, is banned from entering the human world by mandate of Heaven; him being the only demon banned by Heaven to do so. Other banned demons are banned by the government of Hell themselves. Demons regulate and police their own kind to avoid misbalance within Hell itself and invoking another possible war with Heaven.

Humans, especially exorcists and the Holy Cross Order all know about this and have a general idea of how Hell society and demon hierarchy work through the demon prisoners they keep. Not all captured demons are exorcised; some are kept as prisoners and tortured into giving information by the exorcists themselves. Most of the imprisoned demons eventually die from the continuous torture, and those that remain alive are subject to more horrendous torture and harsh living conditions.

 

Chanyeol himself had lots of experience in working with demon prisoners during his time at the Vatican. The prison for demons was located in a secret underground complex called the Underprison beneath the St. Peter’s Basilica. Demons captured all around the world are sent there to be imprisoned. Chanyeol had witnessed humans treating demons worse than trash. Chanyeol had heard their endless screams and cries as they were tortured for information or dissected open alive for experimentation.

As a young priest who had been newly assigned to the Underprison, Chanyeol had asked his superiors if demons felt any pain or emotions judging from their cries and pleas of help. Chanyeol’s seniors assured him that demons did not possess such traits and were just mindless soulless beings who were trying to deceive and lead him astray.

Desensitizing oneself was also part of the training in becoming an exorcist. Chanyeol was made to flog a demon daily with a whip dipped in holy water and salt, thus disabling them to regenerate from their wounds. Chanyeol winced and was hesitant at first. It did not help that demons looked exactly like humans. The more Chanyeol hesitated, the more demons he was made to torture. Other forms of torture involved pulling their nails out or even skinning them alive.

Chanyeol was ordered to do so every day during his assignment in the Underprison until he felt nothing from their screams and tears. Chanyeol could now do it even with a straight face and not be haunted of their screams in his sleep. In fact, something else haunted his dreams now.

 

The wet dreams of Kyungsoo did not just stop there. Chanyeol discovered kinks he never knew he had all through a dream. In his dream, a naked Kyungsoo with her long black hair let loose would caress his face using her feet as she talked down to him. It felt so soft to him and her words would turn him on even more. Chanyeol never know how hot and bothered he could be by hearing someone calling him a “little dirty manwhore”.

Chanyeol enjoyed it very much despite also trying to resist the temptation. Chanyeol kept reminding himself she was a demon and it was sinful for him to even think of such a thing. Chanyeol tried to wake himself up but his dick did the thinking even in his dream. Everything about it bothered him. From Kyungsoo’s warm breath against his skin to the way her breasts press against him and how warm and wet her vagina felt against his throbbing penis. She would press her sex against his face and Chanyeol could not resist lapping his tongue at it like a hungry dog.   
This was just a dream Chanyeol reminded himself. Nothing was real. He was only being tempted a demon and he wouldn’t do this while he was awake, or so Chanyeol believed. Chanyeol woke up one morning having already came in his sleep, the stains proving the incident of his nocturnal emission. At that moment, Chanyeol only felt frustrated that he didn’t know how Kyungsoo’s face actually looked like. Everything else was far behind in his mind.  Chanyeol felt too filthy to even grab the bible and rosary by his nightstand.

 

 

Kyungsoo liked it when it rained. She found the rain calming and better still; the sun is usually behind the clouds when it’s raining. That way she could carry out her task even during the day without getting sick. Kyungsoo did not waste time to return to her apartment and stripped herself from her clothes and glasses, putting on nothing but just her crimson cape. Kyungsoo did not need weapons to kill. The “Great Bitch” title did not come for nothing. She could simply do it with her bare hands.

Just like Kyungsoo had wanted it to be, it was raining heavily and dark when Kyungsoo arrived at the secluded park. It had been raining almost every day now and Kyungsoo felt less restricted and freer to carry out her task.

 

Kyungsoo’s target, Olga, looked to be very young and sat waiting on a bench under a tree where the rain fell softer, bouncing off the leaves onto the ground. Her clothes looked torn and she was bleeding from a cut on her head. The blood mixed with the rain water slowly dripped from her temple down onto her face. She had a very lifeless expression and looked to her side. It was almost as if she was ready to die.

Olga saw Kyungsoo approaching her and looked up, “Are you the executioner sent after me? They said I was going to die.” Olga spoke softly. She didn’t even remark the fact that Kyungsoo was naked under her cape.

“You can say that.” Kyungsoo shrugged, taking the seat on the bench beside Olga. Kyungsoo crossed her right leg over her left knee and leant back.

“They said a ‘Great Bitch’ is after me. Is that you?” Olga questioned, turning her head slightly. For once, it seemed like there was one person who called Kyungsoo a “Great Bitch” without the intent to mock her.

“That would be me. Yes. Can I ask you a question before we get down to business?” Kyungsoo slightly leant in towards Olga.

Olga simply nodded.

Kyungsoo inquired, “Who is this ‘they’ you speak of?

 

Olga looked to the ground and before she could open her mouth to talk, a spear flew in her direction and stabbed her in the chest killing her instantly. Kyungsoo was startled and jumped in her seat. Kyungsoo looked to the direction the spear was hurled from and saw the same two exorcists she had ran into previously, namely Jongdae and Chanyeol.

Jongdae had his spear in one hand and another had a bible opened as he recited a verse meant to weaken Kyungsoo. Chanyeol was missing his spear and it seemed that the one embedded in Olga was his.

“Motherfu-“ Kyungsoo could not even finish swearing when Chanyeol started to close in on her. Jongdae stood slightly behind Chanyeol reciting the bible still. He looked up occasionally but always returned to the Bible. Kyungsoo could begin to feel the effect as she felt a headache building up.

Kyungsoo stood up in front of Olga’s dead body to prevent Chanyeol from retrieving his spear.

“Step aside, Satan spawn.” Chanyeol sneered in the rain. He had taken off the glowing cross hung on his neck and wound the chain and cross against his fisted right knuckle. The same fist was also raised ready for confrontation.

“I am not a spawn of Satan. He’s my father in-law actually or former- whatever” Kyungsoo corrected, squinting to look at Chanyeol through the hood on her cape. “Oh I remember you.”

Chanyeol was bothered by her nakedness to say the least but Chanyeol was a duty driven man and didn’t let it interfere with his work. He was there to eliminate the demon Olga and capture the demon coded “Black”, his task was more important. After making the report about a black haired demon to the Vatican, the higher ups in the Holy Cross Order had ordered for her to be captured alive as a specimen. Everyone was intrigued at the existence of a demon with dark hair.  
Kyungsoo’s face was still hidden by the cape and the rain made it harder to see clearly. Her almost waist length hair that flowed out of the hood was visible, revealing her identity as the famed black haired demon they were after.

Chanyeol turned to Jongdae who gave him a nod. Chanyeol attempted to punch Kyungsoo but she stepped aside quickly and tripped his leg before pushing him to the wet grass below. Jongdae’s reciting of the bible was giving her an even more intense headache. Kyungsoo knew she had to finish it fast.

Kyungsoo pulled the spear out of Olga’s body and stomped her foot down on Chanyeol’s chest to prevent him from getting up. Despite being of smaller stature, Kyungsoo was considerably above the exorcists in physical strength. Chanyeol could not get up easily with Kyungsoo pushing her weight onto her foot to push him down.

If Chanyeol wanted to know how a woman’s vagina looked like over his face, he had it now. Chanyeol had a good upskirt shot of her private parts, except she wasn’t even wearing anything least to say a skirt under her cape. Chanyeol did not lie but he looked a few times at it despite the situation he was in. Chanyeol could now officially say he had seen the vagina without knowing how the owner even looked like.

Kyungsoo aimed the spear threateningly at Jongdae. “Drop the book down and the spear too.”

Jongdae did as he was ordered to, carefully putting the bible and spear down onto the grass.

“Good, now step aside a bit further.” Kyungsoo further ordered.

Jongdae with both arms raised as if to surrender also complied and moved a distance to the side. Before Kyungsoo could do anything else, Chanyeol pressed the silver cross on his knuckle into Kyungsoo’s calf. It did sting but not enough to hurt her yet.

Using the distraction, Jongdae rushed for his spear but Kyungsoo was faster and speared into his right shoulder, penetrating the flesh below his shoulder until the spearhead made a clean exit through his back. Jongdae screamed from the pain before Kyungsoo kicked him to the ground with the embedded spear in him.

Chanyeol saw this and screamed, clawing at Kyungsoo’s leg to free himself. The cross started to singe Kyungsoo’s flesh and she cringed from the pain, thus allowing Chanyeol to free himself. Chanyeol immediately rushed to Jongdae lying on the grass bloody and crying from the pain.

Kyungsoo grabbed the spear on the ground just as Chanyeol saw what she was trying to do. Kyungsoo tipped the spear head near Chanyeol’s chin. “You know, I didn’t want to do this. I don’t even want anything to do with humans. I only deal with demons and demons alone. Your friend there was trying to kill me so I had to. I think he’ll make it though. Shouldn’t you be calling that thing uh- what was it called-uh ambulance?”

It was a tense situation but Kyungsoo was making sense. Chanyeol slowly reached into his pocket for his phone and thankful it was water proof as he made the emergency call. Kyungsoo didn’t break her stance, carefully tipping the spear head near Chanyeol’s neck now until he finished the call.

“Stay with me. Damn it!” Chanyeol tried his best to keep Jongdae conscious and stop the bleeding without driving the spear further in.

Kyungsoo withdrew the spear in her hands, breaking it into two at the middle before throwing it far from their reach. Chanyeol saw this and looked up in the rain to her cloaked figure standing beside him. “Why don’t you kill me while you’re at it too? That’s what demons do don’t they?”

“Well, I don’t want to.” Kyungsoo explained. “I don’t see the need to do it either.”

“Am I that too pitiful for you to do so?” Chanyeol spat out angrily, still crouching over Jongdae as his voice was drowned out by the rain.

Kyungsoo sighed, “It’s not my job to clear your misconceptions about us demons.” Kyungsoo lifted Olga’s dead body and carried the smaller girl in her arms. Before Kyungsoo left with Olga’s corpse, she spoke once more to Chanyeol, “Take care of yourself and your friend there too.”

Kyungsoo disappeared in the rain like a fast wind rushing through the air. The paramedics arrived soon arrived in their ambulance.

 

Chanyeol only returned to his apartment later that night after the nurse had informed him that Jongdae was in a stable condition. Chanyeol undressed himself from his now dry and crumpled clerical uniform, throwing it into the laundry basket. Chanyeol was angry and frustrated up to the point of mental exhaustion. Chanyeol had lost to demons in the past but never to such a humiliating and defeating extent. Chanyeol vowed to rid the living world of all demons but yet it was a demon that could have had killed him but spared his life instead, and even voiced concern for Jongdae. Chanyeol was confused and didn’t even know what he thought he knew. Chanyeol thought that he was most certainly done for at that moment but yet here was well and alive.

Chanyeol flipped through the demonology textbooks he had and nowhere in it was mentioned about a demon showing compassion or sparing an enemy. Chanyeol made a call to a senior priest he had worked with in the Vatican to tell him off the transpired events.

Chanyeol hoped he would have an answer but all heard was a reassuring voice in a heavy Italian accent, “Father Park, you are just confused from witnessing such an event. Demons are known to trick you and play mind games. They have no soul or feelings needless to say compassion. It’s just the way the Lord is testing you.”

Chanyeol was needless to say now beyond frustrated. He did not get the answer he wanted and he certainly knew what he saw that day was an act of compassion by a demon. Chanyeol politely dropped the call and bade goodbye through gritted teeth. Once he had hung up, Chanyeol slammed his fist into the wall out of anger, hard enough to leave a dent in the wall. 

 

Chanyeol returned to work the next day while Jongdae recuperated in the hospital. Chanyeol wrote up the report regarding the incident and changed code “Black’s threat level to “ _Medium. Has injured a human. Not known to kill humans yet.”_

If Chanyeol could not get the answers he wanted, he would set out to find it himself.

 

 

Kyungsoo returned to Hell after the mission and returned Olga’s body to her family. Kyungsoo usually wouldn’t have done otherwise if she was the one to end a life. Kyungsoo returned to her family’s manor where she saw Sehun around. Demons physically age at a slower progression than humans due their longer lifespan. A human who looked at Sehun and Kyungsoo would think they were siblings and not guess they were a mother and son. A demon could spot it easily however.

“Oh. You’re here.” Kyungsoo mentioned when she saw her only son in the drawing room. “I thought you’d be staying at your father’s.”

“I heard you would be coming back to Hell so I decided to stay here. Father is never home anyway. It gets lonely there.” Sehun replied, walking up to meet Kyungsoo.

“Your dad huh…how is he?” Kyungsoo asked, looking up to meet Sehun’s eyes. Sehun was as tall if not taller than his father, Jongin.

“He said he misses you. That’s what he said.” Sehun chuckled. He was very aware of the situation of the relationship between his parents now after their divorce.

Kyungsoo clicked her tongue, “He says that but he’ll be gone again soon. He always does that.”

Sehun noticed Kyungsoo slightly limping and began to look concerned. “Mother, are you alright?”

“Yeah, I got injured a little but I’m alright. I was just fighting against a human. It shouldn’t be that bad.” Kyungsoo clarified, tucking her hair behind her ears to bend and take a look at her injured leg. But it did look bad. The cross mark had faded out very soon but there were very obvious large bruise marks that Chanyeol had left when he had grabbed her leg. Kyungsoo had never been injured by a human’s bare hands before.

Demon ranks came in numbers one to ten. Rank one is the strongest with ten being the weakest. It is a common known fact that it would be exponentially difficult to defeat a demon who outranks you. The ranking system is also implemented as part of keeping balance in Hell, preventing demons of higher standing to pick on those below them.  
The strongest human was estimated to be at most a level six. A strong human with proper equipments to defeat demons could at most achieve the equivalent of a rank four. Kyungsoo happened to be a rank two demon.

Kyungsoo was slightly dazed at looking at the bruise and wondering how it could come to be. Kyungsoo didn’t even realize her son calling for her and only snapped out of it when Sehun lightly tapped her shoulder, “Mom? Do you want me to get someone to treat the injuries?”

“Yeah, sure” Kyungsoo replied, still confused and trying to figure out the possibilities of it happening. Kyungsoo wasn’t the only one with questions she needed answers for.

 

 


	3. It's always raining when I meet you

 

For two weeks while Jongdae was on medical leave, Chanyeol worked alone and spent long hours in the office and archives to hunt down for any article and information that could possibly answer his questions. Almost all his waking hours was spent in trying to find out the identity of the demon coded “Black”. Chanyeol took his job as an exorcist seriously but this time, he just wanted to know who she was. Chanyeol wasn’t the least bit interested in exorcising her. He literally just wanted to sit her down and ask a lot of questions.

Everything about “Black” intrigued him. From the color of her hair, to her unexplainable behavior and to how good she was at riding Chanyeol’s dick in his dreams. Chanyeol had even found himself thinking of her while attending service and had to excuse himself during a sermon from how bothered he had become.

Some of the nuns and priests from the church had noticed his restless behavior and suggested he go to confession. Chanyeol smiled and promised he would. He never did. Chanyeol felt that he had sinned and wasn’t sure if his sins could ever be forgiven. Chanyeol had never questioned the religion nor the teaching and ideology that came with it, not once since he decided to become a clergyman at the age of six.

Chanyeol was slightly ashamed to call himself a man of the cloth. Devoting himself to god and hunting so called wretched demons was one of the furthest thoughts in his mind at the current moment. His mind raced constantly and his thoughts wandered off. Chanyeol had to catch himself every time and focus on whatever he was doing, lest he be led astray again. If Chanyeol could put a single word to how he felt he would certainly go with “confused”.

 

 

Kyungsoo on the other hand was enjoying the return to her desk job as the Commissioner of the Demon Enforcement Department. Work had been busy lately for her department following the botched coup de tat attempt by the separatists. Now that most of the job had been taken care of, Kyungsoo was back to paperwork and dealing with the legal technicalities. Hell had a rather organized government and judiciary system, contrary to human belief that it was lawless and demons simply ran amok.

Kyungsoo was enjoying her morning cup of tea made from special tea leaves that grew in a mountain range in Hell; when she almost spat it back out after reading the letter that had been left on her work desk. As the High Commissioner, Kyungsoo was entitled to her own office which she lined with shelves of books she had obtained from the human world. Kyungsoo was a big hypocrite when it came to saying she hated being in the human world but actually enjoyed learning their culture. That was where she had gotten all the faux names from popular human culture.

Kyungsoo sighed as she read the letter, wishing she could throw it into the fireplace and pretend she never saw it. It was another assignment in the human world. It was sent by her uncle and he had even jokingly drawn a picture of himself on the bottom of the letter. Kyungsoo wish she could just pull out his balding blond hair and be done with it. Kyungsoo’s uncle, known as Kris, often outsourced his own work to her so he could spend more time running his successful stuffed toy business in the human world.   
However, Kyungsoo couldn’t complain as he paid her for doing his work, and it was also him who supported Kyungsoo when she had to run from Hell after divorcing Jongin. Jongin was known to inherit his father’s explosive anger and had gone on a rampage after Kyungsoo had left him. Kris had helped Kyungsoo hide in the human world until things had settled down. Kris had no children himself and being his niece, Kyungsoo was the closest thing he had for a daughter.

This time, the target was Adramalech, the leader of the separatist army himself. He was a former General who went rogue and Kyungsoo remembered him to be a rather fit old man of almost two thousand years old, who never showered and reeked of sweat. That didn’t bother Kyungsoo but she didn’t really like demons that go around with their real names. It was basically showing off yourself as being a strong demon who could walk around freely with your real name and still not be affected by it. To know a demon’s real name is akin to having total control over them, although it would be difficult to do so to higher ranked demons hence them being able to use it freely.   
Kyungsoo had given Jongin her real name while they were married and he had used it against her in a fit of rage.

 

 

Chanyeol rode a bicycle to the church every morning and back home every evening, that also being the reason why he preferred the pants version of the priest uniform instead of the robed version Jongdae preferred. Only when it was raining or snowing heavily did Chanyeol use the subway to work instead. Now that October had settled in and fall had arrived, it began to rain significantly less than the wet summers of Seoul.

One evening on the way back to his apartment, it began to rain heavily. Chanyeol had seen the overcast clouds but thought he could make it back in time. Chanyeol obviously didn’t make it in time and stopped by a homely looking café to take shelter from the rain. Chanyeol parked his bicycle outside before making his way inside.

It was quiet and counting out the employees behind the counter, Chanyeol and one other woman were the only people there. Chanyeol immediately laid eyes on the woman. She had a glass of water and a salad bowl on the table, but she was paying attention to a book she was reading. She wore black framed glasses and had a beige jacket on. Chanyeol thought she was quite cute and rather attractive but what striked him the most wasn’t all that. It was her long flowing black hair.

Chanyeol instantly thought of “Black” but tried to deny it. There were lots of human with black hair and he was just mistaken. Chanyeol couldn’t help but notice that she met all the descriptions for “Black”. Chanyeol wanted to believe he was wrong but he didn’t dismiss the fact that she could be the demon he was looking for. Chanyeol didn't believe a demon would just show up in a public area.

 

Chanyeol slowly walked up to her table. “Excuse me, miss?” Chanyeol politely asked.

Kyungsoo looked up from her book. “Can I help you, Father?”

“Can I sit here?” Chanyeol gestured.

Kyungsoo looked around the café and saw that all the tables were empty. Kyungsoo remembered Chanyeol as the exorcist she had run into several times. Although she had never shown him his face, Kyungsoo knew he suspected something about her hence his need to sit with her despite all the empty tables.

Kyungsoo was curious to see what he would do. “Sure, you can of course. You must be lonely. I can accompany you while you eat.” Kyungsoo smiled.

Chanyeol awkwardly smiled back and took the seat opposite from her. “Thank you, miss.” Wearing the clergyman uniform sure did give Chanyeol advantages. People were generally nicer to a priest if they saw them on the streets and in public.

The waitress soon came to take Chanyeol’s order once he was seated. Chanyeol ordered a bowl of beef noodles which happened to be one of his most favorite dish. After the waitress had left to take care of his order, there was a silent pause between them.

Kyungsoo returned to her book while Chanyeol focused his gaze on the salt and pepper shaker. He was resisting the urge to look at Kyungsoo and tried to imagine her naked. Chanyeol tried to shake off the sinful thoughts but if he really did know how she looked naked, he could at least confirm her to be the demon he was looking for. Chanyeol hated himself for not wearing the Holy Cross used to detect demons. Out of all the times he had to leave it behind, it had to be now.

 

“So…uh are you from around here?” Chanyeol tried to initiate a conversation.

“Nope. I am not.” Kyungsoo shook her head and did not look up from her book once as she turned a page over.

“Oh. What do you do?” Chanyeol further asked eager to make her talk.

“I’m a government worker.” Kyungsoo still did not look up from her book. “…and you work for the Lord don’t you, Father?”

“Yes, I do indeed.” Chanyeol stretched out a hand to greet her. “I’m Park Chanyeol; you can just call me Chanyeol. No need for the formalities.”

Kyungsoo eyed Chanyeol’s hand before smiling and setting her book down. Kyungsoo shook Chanyeol’s hand with a firm and tight hold. “I’m Kyungsoo. Just Kyungsoo.”

 

Chanyeol noticed the book she had put down. It was the book “Human, All Too Human” by Friedrich Nietzsche with the title and transcript on the cover still in the original German language. Chanyeol had to ask, “Oh, you speak German?”

“Yeah, I studied German in college.” Kyungsoo mentioned as she sipped her drink without using the straw. Kyungsoo wasn’t lying. Demons were made to study at least two to three human languages in college. German was a popular choice in colleges in Hell due to the language being widely used by exorcists. Italian was another popular choice although Kyungsoo had opted to study Korean as a second choice that being one of the reasons she was often sent to missions in Korea.

Kyungsoo smiled back at Chanyeol, and he couldn’t stop but to stare at the way she stabbed her fork into a tomato and licked it before puckering her lips to suck on it. Chanyeol’s eyes followed her throat as she swallowed it down. Chanyeol hated himself for being turned on by a woman eating. Chanyeol turned away and pretended to look to the kitchen for his order, not wanting Kyungsoo to catch him staring. Kyungsoo did catch him and was doing it on purpose at this point. She was a demon after all.

 

 

That night, Chanyeol went to sleep feeling slightly better than he did the past few weeks. Chanyeol came to the conclusion that Kyungsoo wasn’t “Black”. Somehow she seemed too “normal” to be a demon. Chanyeol didn’t put the thought aside that she fit the entire description for “Black”. Chanyeol did not remember how “Black’s voice sounded like but he did feel that it somehow fit. If he envisioned putting Kyungsoo’s voice on “Black” it wouldn’t even sound weird.

When Kyungsoo stood up to leave, Chanyeol had also stood up to bow to her. Chanyeol was actually trying to compare her height to hers, and she was also as tall as “Black” was. Everything about Kyungsoo screamed to him about being “Black”, but Chanyeol did not want to believe it.

For the next few days, Chanyeol would stop by the café every evening and look through the glass windows to see if she was there. Chanyeol never saw her there again. Chanyeol tried looking up people named “Kyungsoo” on social media but mostly found profiles of males and not her. Chanyeol never told Jongdae or report to the Order regarding his suspicions and the uncanny resemblance. Chanyeol refused to believe his instincts, even though it was basically screaming at him. Denial is one hell of a drug.

 

 

Chanyeol was dreaming again. He knew he was because “Black” was in it. Chanyeol had moved past trying to fight his primal instincts in his dream to just accepting it and going along with it. Since it was a dream and something he wouldn’t do while awake, Chanyeol admitted that he already had sex with a demon numerous times. Somehow, doing the sinful deed eased his real life frustration.

“Black” was wearing her crimson cape again in his dream. She was sitting on the edge of his bed with her back turned to him. The hood of the cape was down and hair was flowing down her back. “Black” never talked in his dreams and he never remembered how she looked like. Chanyeol felt like he needed to know this time and pushed her down onto his bed. The face he saw scared him. It was the face of the dead corpse he had found in the woods as a trainee exorcist years ago. It was the face of a woman who had been half eaten by a demon all while still alive. This was not what Chanyeol wanted to see.

Chanyeol startled himself awake with tears in his eyes. Chanyeol prayed that night, believing a demon to be the cause of his bad dreams. Chanyeol was taught that demons were not supposed to be compassionate and understanding after all. This was his sin for his impure impulsions he thought.

 

 

When it came to the human world, demons had a rather liking for fighting atop tall skyscrapers. Buildings were still made of brick in Hell and hardly went above four floors. Hell basically looked like a Central European city in the 1920s. The fire, grim and brimstone were on a different level of Hell where damned souls faced their eternal torture for their sins. Demons did not live there and had their own residential level of Hell.

On top of a ten-storey building was where Kyungsoo found herself at battling Adramalech. It was raining and Kyungsoo was thankful for cloud cover and not having to smell Adramelech’s famed body odor. As usual, Kyungsoo was naked below her crimson cape. No demon was even surprised by that fact. Kyungsoo was infamous for many reasons, that being one of it.

 

“Watch it, Great Bitch.” Adramalech sneered as Kyungsoo almost lost her footing. She would have fallen off the building if she didn’t realize it sooner.

Kyungsoo sighed. She was not going to make a comment this time about her nickname. It wouldn’t fix the fact that almost half of Hell knew her by that name. Kyungsoo made a mental note to probably hire a PR team to fix that, as if her reputation wasn’t that tarnished from divorcing Jongin the Crown Prince. Somehow, demon society couldn’t accept the fact that there was actually someone who didn’t want to be involved anymore with the royal family.

“You watch yourself too.” Kyungsoo snarled back at Adramalech.

 

The fight didn’t last long; Kyungsoo soon closed into Adramalech and had pinned him down by the throat. Any battle against Kyungsoo is over if she manages to grab your neck. Her modus operandi is to crush an enemy’s throat and rip it out to kill them instantly, since select few demons could regenerate within seconds and the dead do not heal any longer.

This was routine to Kyungsoo. She had killed countless demons and stained her hands with the blood of her kin. Sometimes the occasional exorcist appeared but to have one named Park Chanyeol appear was not routine. Chanyeol was on the way home and had stopped nearby to take shade until the rain stopped. Chanyeol’s demon indicating cross begun to glow and he had seen Kyungsoo almost stumble over the edge of a building nearby. Chanyeol could not miss the bright crimson of her cape even ten floors above him.

 

It was a residential building and Chanyeol had climbed up all the floors through the emergency stairs to get to the rooftop. Chanyeol guessed right. Whenever he saw “Black”, she was always trying to kill another demon. Chanyeol had fully expected that she wouldn’t be alone on that rooftop.

Kyungsoo got distracted from Chanyeol’s appearance, and Adramalech had pushed her off of him to escape. Adramalech disappeared from sight leaving Kyungsoo and Chanyeol on the rainy rooftop. Chanyeol was grateful he had brought his newly issued spear that day, which he usually put into a baseball bat case. Chanyeol was armed and ready this time. He had “Black” right in front of him and he was going to capture her.

 _“I really don’t have time for this_ ” Kyungsoo thought to herself as she habitually clicked her tongue. She tended to do that when stressed or in thought. Kyungsoo thought of how she could escape without having to fight Chanyeol. She just wanted to go back to her task and leave the human world. She had been running into Chanyeol so much that Kyungsoo was beginning to get worried herself.

“I ask that you surrender.” Chanyeol spoke over the rain falling against them. He had his spear ready and stood a good twelve feet away from Kyungsoo.

 

Chanyeol didn’t like the rain. He liked it when it was sunny. Rain seemed to be too gloomy for him. Demons could easily hide in the rain after all.

Kyungsoo did not answer Chanyeol and turned around to jump off the building. She could do that without getting injured and Chanyeol wouldn’t be able to. Chanyeol would have to use the stairs and that would buy her a lot of time. Kyungsoo did not look back and just as she took the leap, Chanyeol had launched the spear at her.

Kyungsoo felt the spear impaling her from the back and going through her abdomen where it was embedded at in her body. Kyungsoo lost her footing and fell ten floors to the ground in an uncontrolled fall. Chanyeol made the dash for the stairs now that he had the upper advantage of Kyungsoo being injured. Chanyeol was very precise with his spearing; it was part of exorcist training after all.

Kyungsoo fell onto the pavement below. There was no one around and Kyungsoo could not get up no matter how much she had struggled. The silver in the spear was poisoning her blood and she was severely weakened. The more she tried to move, the more blood came out and she was also beginning to vomit blood. Kyungsoo tried getting up on her elbows but fell back down every time. Kyungsoo was now throwing up her lunch together with the blood. Blood and spinach soup was hardly a tasty combo.

Kyungsoo felt no energy within her anymore as she lay down on her side with the spear still embedded within her. The gravel pavement beneath her was cold and wet. Kyungsoo could feel the rain on her face as she closed her eyes and lost consciousness thinking that it was probably her end. The view of the rainy sky was the last thing she saw before passing out. Kyungsoo did like the rain. 

 

Chanyeol had to catch his breath once he reached the ground floor, after having running up and down ten floors in such a short time. Chanyeol saw her body lying in a pool of her own blood and vomit on the pavement. They were the only ones there so no one would come to bother them.

She didn’t seem to be moving and Chanyeol slowly walked up to inspect her. Chanyeol slowly crouched in front of her body. She seemed to be breathing lightly still. This  was it. He wanted to know how she looked like and hoped that it wasn’t Kyungsoo. Chanyeol hesitated to remove the hood on her cape because he was scared to know the truth. Chanyeol decided then that it was better to know. Chanyeol quickly pulled back the hood on her unconscious body and he froze for a second. It was Kyungsoo.

Chanyeol couldn’t even hear the rain over his heart beating wildly and the blood rushing to his ears. Chanyeol never wanted to be wrong so bad. But now he had more questions than he initially did. This wasn’t right at all. Chanyeol now found the demon “Black”, who happened to be Kyungsoo. But no matter how much Chanyeol tried, he just couldn’t see her as a demon. She had seemed so “human”.

 


	4. I don't really understand this either

 

Chanyeol wasn’t sure what actually transpired next or went through his head, but he knew he was violating several terms and regulations of the Holy Cross Order. Demons are not to be assisted as doing so is considered treason, and an exorcist is supposed to immediately report an encounter with a demon. Chanyeol broke the above two laws.

Chanyeol hailed a taxi and paid the driver so much extra to not report of the naked woman he had with him, and to take care of the blood stains on his backseat. The taxi driver was shaken but something about the clergyman uniform always put people at ease. Priests and nuns were usually held in good opinion by the society as good, pious people.

 

Chanyeol lived in a walk up apartment so he did not have to wait for an elevator and run into his neighbors. Chanyeol had left his bicycle and would just go back to get it later. Chanyeol’s brain wasn’t really working, he was just moving by instinct and experience, fueled by adrenaline.

Chanyeol threw a towel down onto his bed before tearing off Kyungsoo’s cape. Making sure she was still properly breathing, Chanyeol slowly removed the spear embedded in her stomach. Kyungsoo would begin healing once the spear was out of her, since the silver poisoned a demon’s blood to prevent them for regenerating. Kyungsoo remained unconscious throughout the whole ordeal. If she wasn’t a demon, Kyungsoo would have died from just the fall already.

Once Chanyeol had retrieved the spear, he had prepared several clothes beforehand to press down on the wound to give it pressure until Kyungsoo’s own demon regeneration kicked in. All demons have their own individual regenerative pace and Chanyeol just hoped she was one of the fast ones. Kyungsoo bled out through several clothes until it gradually stopped. Chanyeol inspected the wound. Kyungsoo had just regenerated enough to close up the wound and prevent bleeding. She had not fully healed and the flesh beneath was still red and the skin not covered up.

Chanyeol quickly changed out of his bloody clothes into casual ones to rush to the store for a ton of bandages. Chanyeol ran up and down too many stairs that day. Using the first aid training he had, Chanyeol covered up the wound until Kyungsoo could fully heal by herself. Severely injured demons could feast on humans to instantly heal themselves to accelerate regeneration, but Chanyeol wasn’t going to consider looking for someone for Kyungsoo to eat.

Chanyeol found a smaller dress shirt of his and dressed the unconscious Kyungsoo with it. It was still large on her and Chanyeol left the lower buttons undone to give the wound air to breathe. Chanyeol wasn’t sure what to do with her lower half and put a blanket over her hips. Only when things had calmed down, did Chanyeol realize that the naked demon in his dreams was right here in front of him. Chanyeol felt himself getting unsettled but when he also realized he had not only assisted a demon but also not turn her in, Chanyeol gulped and tried to think of his next action. He could not stop shaking at the thought of what he had done. Chanyeol wasn’t sure heaven would be opening its doors to him now.

 

 

Kyungsoo was passed out for the whole night and the day after, only waking up the next night. Kyungsoo remembered what had happened before she passed out and woke up to the unfamiliar room around her, having to squint occasionally to look. It was a small room with a medium sized bed pushed against the wall. It was rather plain and only had a small cabinet with some books in it. There was no other furniture but there were glass sliding doors which led to a balcony. Sheer white curtains hung over the glass door and Kyungsoo could very much see it was night.

Kyungsoo looked down to her stomach where there were new dressings on the wound. Kyungsoo tried to move and it still did hurt, as she clutched her stomach wincing from the pain. Kyungsoo looked up to see the door opening and Chanyeol appearing from it. They exchanged a long silent stare at each other.

“What am I doing here? Where is this? How long have I been here?” Kyungsoo spoke up first asking, sitting up on the bed with one hand over her stomach.

Chanyeol cleared his throat, “You were passed for a day. This is my apartment and I saved you. So, that makes us even now.”

Kyungsoo clicked her tongue, “When did you ever me owe me anything enough to save me? Did you forget I’m a demon? Isn’t it your job to do the opposite of saving me?”

Chanyeol closed the door behind him and walked up to the edge of the bed. “That day in the park, you didn’t kill me or my partner. You even let us get help. I believe I owe you for that one so we’re equal now.”

Kyungsoo sarcastically laughed lowly, “You are the reason I’m like this too you know.”

“I know that.” Chanyeol acknowledged.

“Then, aren’t you supposed to call your buddies now and have me captured?” Kyungsoo raised an eyebrow towards Chanyeol.

“I will when you’re fully healed. That will make us truly even then. I still have questions I need answers from you too” Chanyeol knelt by the bed looking to Kyungsoo for permission. “Can I inspect the wound?”

Kyungsoo sighed as she leant her head on the wall near the bed, “Do what you want. I’m not sure what you humans even use for your tools these days, but it’s not letting me heal fully. Good job with that.”

 

Chanyeol reached his hand out to undo the bandages but was met by surprise when Kyungsoo violently pushed him out of the way and made the dash for the door. Chanyeol stumbled onto the floor but managed to catch her by the leg before she could even leave the room.

“Please don’t do that, Kyungsoo.” Chanyeol slowly got up and moved his grip on her to hold Kyungsoo by the arm.

Kyungsoo was scowling. She had failed to escape and was trying to hide the pain from her injury. She could not display any form of weakness, not in the home of an exorcist who was actively hunting her. Kyungsoo had to admit she was weakened beyond her regular capability from her injury. At this state, Chanyeol had the upper hand.

Kyungsoo attempted to shake Chanyeol off but wasn’t successful in doing so. Kyungsoo tried shoving Chanyeol off of her, only to end up pinned against the wall with Chanyeol’s knee wedged in the gap between her legs. Chanyeol had both hands firmly pressed on either side of Kyungsoo’s shoulder. Kyungsoo couldn’t find the strength in herself to fight back.

“Let me go!”, Kyungsoo spat on Chanyeol’s face as she tried to push back against him.

Chanyeol pressed onto her shoulders harder and firmly held his knee between her thighs to encage her. Chanyeol honestly felt distressed in the situation. He very well knew that Kyungsoo is a demon but could not see it that way no matter how hard he tried. All he saw was an injured and wounded young woman who needed help.

 

After a while, Kyungsoo realized it was futile and stopped struggling. She could almost feel Chanyeol breathing against her skin from the close proximity they were in. Kyungsoo had turned her head to the side to avoid looking at Chanyeol in the face.

Chanyeol realized he had knee pressed up so close and high up that he was almost brushing against Kyungsoo’s bare unclothed crotch. Chanyeol also noticed blood dripping from Kyungsoo’s wound onto his knee. Kyungsoo herself looked down to see what Chanyeol was staring at.

“Oh. I think the wound reopened”, Kyungsoo mentioned lazily when she saw the blood. She did notice where Chanyeol had wedged his knee but she didn’t acknowledge it.

Chanyeol let go of Kyungsoo and she sunk down onto the floor with her back to the wall. Kyungsoo was clutching her stomach with one arm to provide light pressure without making it bleed any further. She only noticed the pain now too.

“Don’t try to run now. I’ll change the bandage”, Chanyeol left the room to look for his medical supplies.

Chanyeol came back with a scissors and several rolls of gauze. Chanyeol sat on the floor in front of Kyungsoo and before he could touch her to undo the old bandage, Kyungsoo tapped his arm. “No. We need to stitch it up. Do you know how to do it?”

Chanyeol shook his head, “No, I don’t.”

“Ok, will you listen to me then? I need you to get me lots of alcohol swabs, surgical cotton balls, a pair of sterilized gloves and a suturing kit. I think your pharmacies sell those.” Kyungsoo softly told Chanyeol, looking at him in the eye. “I can’t run away in my state and you know that. Can you help me at least then?”

Chanyeol only then noticed that Kyungsoo had dark brown eyes. It was common in demons but it still did not explain how she had black hair to begin with.

“I’ll go get it”, Chanyeol agreed and stood up. “Please stay here.”

 

 

Chanyeol didn’t leave for long before returning with the list of items she had sent him out for. Kyungsoo was still sitting on the floor where he had left her. Kyungsoo instructed him to wipe his hands with the alcohol swabs and he did as he was told. Kyungsoo undid the dress shirt Chanyeol had made her wear and was now stark naked. Chanyeol wasn’t really surprised anymore having being used to see it pretty often now.

Chanyeol only assisted as Kyungsoo ordered him to, while she skillfully stitched up her own wounds. Chanyeol mostly passed around stuff when she asked for it as he carefully watched her. Kyungsoo was obviously very experienced in stitching up wounds from the way Chanyeol saw it. It was uncomfortable but Kyungsoo did not cringe even once, only gritting her teeth through the pain.

Once she was done, Chanyeol cleaned up and gave her an old t-shirt of hers to wear. Chanyeol also found a pair of boxers with an adjustable waistband for Kyungsoo to wear. Both articles of clothing looked very large on her but Kyungsoo did not complain.

Kyungsoo climbed back up onto Chanyeol’s bed and laid down on the cotton baby blue sheets. Chanyeol walked in after clearing everything up and sat on the edge of the bed on the far end from Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo acknowledged his presence. “Are you sure you want to be that close to me? Aren’t you supposed to call your comrades to come capture me now?”

“I am sure.” Chanyeol confidently answered. “…and also I won’t let you go till I get the answers I want.”

“What could you ever want to know from a demon?” Kyungsoo didn’t even look towards Chanyeol, lying down on her back with her eyes towards the glass doors on the other end of the room.

Chanyeol cleared his throat and firmly spoke, “I’m just going to let you know first of all that you can’t escape from here. I lined the doors and windows outside with rock salt and there’s a silver cross on every place you wish to escape from. Especially not in the state you are in now.”

“This is funny. Aren’t those things supposed to keep demons out and not in?” Kyungsoo retorted. “Why would you even want to keep a demon? Do you want a soul contract or something?”

“I will never commit the sin for a soul contract. I just need you here so I can complete my investigation on you.” Chanyeol explained as he grabbed the bible and rosary from the night stand. Kyungsoo saw him do this.

“This is why I don’t want to deal with humans”, Kyungsoo muttered under her breath well enough for Chanyeol to hear her.

 

Kyungsoo half expected Chanyeol to begin exorcising her, but he instead moved to lock the bible and rosary in his cabinet drawer. “That should bother you less, I hope.”

“Don’t worry; I’m not going to touch that with a ten foot pole even if I had to.” Kyungsoo moved to lie down on her side to look at Chanyeol still kneeling on the floor in front of the cabinet.

“Good. You’ll be staying here for a while now. If you don’t try to hurt me, I won’t have to hurt you either.” Chanyeol mentioned as he stood up.

“I’m not touching you either.” Kyungsoo pursed her lip and shook her head lying on the bed.

Chanyeol didn’t know if he was disappointed or relieved at her statement.

 

 

That night, Chanyeol made two bowls of instant noodles for himself and Kyungsoo. Chanyeol noticed Kyungsoo reading the bottom label thoroughly before deciding to eat it. Chanyeol passed Kyungsoo a plastic fork for her to use but she instead asked for chopsticks. Chanyeol secretly wondered if demons used chopsticks in Hell too. Kyungsoo ate with her left hand, Chanyeol only just noticed. All demons are left handed. Kyungsoo was like just any regular demon and Chanyeol wondered what it could be that made her so different at the same time.

Kyungsoo slept on Chanyeol’s bed while he slept on the floor beside her, using a pillow he had pulled from his couch and a spare blanket. Chanyeol slept close to make sure she didn’t try to leave in the night.

 

There was a thunderstorm that night and Kyungsoo was startled awake by a loud clap of thunder. The rain heavily pounded on the glass window and the wind could be heard howling outside. Kyungsoo saw Chanyeol asleep on the floor with his spear by his side. Chanyeol was very serious about making sure she didn’t run away. Kyungsoo still did not understand why a man like him would even want a demon around. Kyungsoo always had trouble sleeping during storms and it was no different this time. Kyungsoo shut her eyes tight and tried going back to sleep while ignoring the loud occasional thunder. She was envious how Chanyeol managed to sleep through it. It took a while but Kyungsoo managed to fall asleep eventually.

 

Chanyeol woke up early the next morning to leave for work, leaving Kyungsoo home alone. Chanyeol allowed Kyungsoo to roam his two-bedroom apartment although she wasn’t allowed to leave, not that she would be able to do so anyway. Kyungsoo checked the doors and window once he had left. He had spread rock salt all around the perimeter and had a silver cross hanging on every door and window pane. Chanyeol's apartment had basically been converted into a demon prison. 

It would take up to a week before anyone from Hell realized Kyungsoo had not been sending them reports back, and that she was in potential danger. Even if Kyungsoo managed to escape, she could not open the Hell Gate to leave the human world. A large amount of spiritual power was needed and Kyungsoo didn’t even have enough to heal her wounds, needless to say open a Gate. The higher a demon’s rank is, the more power is used to open a Gate to accommodate their travel between the realms.

Kyungsoo looked into Chanyeol’s washing machine and saw her crimson robe in there still stuffed with his other used clothes. Kyungsoo scrunched her nose at the smell of sweat from the pile of clothes before throwing her robe back in.

Kyungsoo went through Chanyeol’s fridge but found nothing she could eat that fit her vegan lifestyle. There was too much meat. Kyungsoo found some old lumpy biscuits and ate that as she watched TV on his couch the whole day.

 

 

At work in the small branch office, Jongdae and Chanyeol were going through old reports and files. Jongdae came to Kyungsoo’s case file and went through it. It was last updated after the incident where he had gotten injured. According to protocol, Chanyeol was supposed to be updating the file now and making his reports.

“Looks like we don’t have any new information on ‘Black’”, Jongdae noted as he peered over his glasses to read the file.

Chanyeol who was working on another file from the desk across immediately shot up his head. “Oh…yeah, there hasn’t been a sighting on ‘Black’ since last month. The other exorcists would have updated the file if they came across her too. Maybe she is in Hell right now.” Chanyeol was blatantly lying at this point.

“It seems so. The Vatican seems interested in her case but cannot put her on high priority because she is still on medium threat level.” Jongdae added. "...not until she kills a human."

Chanyeol nodded and pretended to acknowledge Jongdae’s words. Chanyeol sighed to himself when he was alone in the office, thinking that there was no turning back from now. After they were done for the day, Jongdae left to go home first. Chanyeol pulled out Kyungsoo’s case file from the “Active” drawer and stashed it into the “Inactive” drawer. Chanyeol was not authorized to do so but if Kyungsoo was caught, Chanyeol would be equally in trouble. Chanyeol had to make sure no exorcist would be coming after her. 

Chanyeol prayed before leaving to return home. Chanyeol wasn’t sure if God would listen to him anymore. Helping Kyungsoo felt like the right thing for him to do, but above it all it didn’t change the fact she was a demon. Chanyeol never thought he’d end up in a situation where he was both doing the right and wrong simultaneously. If a demon could spare his life and a human couldn’t do the same, who was really the vile evil one?

 

 

It was nighttime when Chanyeol arrived back at his apartment. He wouldn’t have been surprised if Kyungsoo somehow managed to escape but he found her sitting on the couch lazily watching the primetime news. Kyungsoo lifted her head to see Chanyeol come in but shrugged it off and returned to the TV. Chanyeol walked up to Kyungsoo on the couch and handed her a paper bag.

“Here, take it.” Chanyeol mentioned as he placed the paper bag down on her lap.

Kyungsoo stared at him for a while. “What’s that?”

“I got you some clothes so you can change. I hope it fits. I only estimated the size since I don’t know what you wear.” Chanyeol noted.

“Thanks?” Kyungsoo muttered slightly confused. She didn’t expect Chanyeol to actually be that thoughtful.

Slightly embarrassed, Chanyeol had to ask, “Oh, what’s your bra and underwear size? I’ll get that tomorrow too. Let me know if you need anything else.”

Now, Kyungsoo was greatly confused herself. She didn’t understand the preferential treatment she was getting. She realized she was a prisoner and her jailer was someone who hunted her kind for a living. Kyungsoo couldn’t come up with a motive to why Chanyeol would even do so for her.

 

Chanyeol cooked dinner when Kyungsoo peered up from behind him, tiptoeing to look over his shoulders. “You’re having chicken?”

Chanyeol turned to look over his shoulders and corrected her, “ _We’re_ having chicken. I’m cooking for the both of us.”

“I don’t eat chicken. I’m a vegan.” Kyungsoo mentioned, looking up at Chanyeol from behind him.

“What!?” Chanyeol almost shouted. “Since when did demons go vegan? Don’t you people like human flesh and eat each other? I don’t think that’s being a vegan.”

“I don’t eat any meat and I won’t. It’s a personal choice.” Kyungsoo mumbled under her breath.

Chanyeol sighed and turned the stove off to call for a vegetarian pizza delivery. Kyungsoo smiled awkwardly at him from across the room. Kyungsoo actually felt bad for troubling him but she was very hungry and Chanyeol was not a meal option. Chanyeol just thought she was very weird. It was as if everything he had learnt about demons was now proven wrong.

 

After dinner, Chanyeol let Kyungsoo use the only shower first while he worked on his computer in the spare room. Chanyeol soon realized Kyungsoo was taking a rather long time and knocked on the sliding opaque plastic shower door. “Kyungsoo? Are you there?”

Chanyeol only heard the sound of the shower running but no response from Kyungsoo. Chanyeol looked around the apartment but didn’t find Kyungsoo around either.  After knocking a few more times and not getting a reply, Chanyeol used his strength to break down the door. It wasn’t too hard as it was just a cheap door.

Chanyeol pushed the dismantled door away and once the steam from the hot water had dissipated through the doorway, Chanyeol was able to see that Kyungsoo was still there and had not ran away. She was naked and wet, leaning her side on the tiled wall and clutching her stomach. It looked as if the stitches had opened since blood was dripping onto the floor below, carried away by the current of water into the drain hole.

Kyungsoo had a pained and tired expression a she smiled weakly at Chanyeol. Her voice croaked and she was struggling to speak. “It's bad. I think I need your help.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> when I'm stressed, I write. lol. That's why I've managed to update daily so far.


	5. I don't even know what I thought I knew

 

Chanyeol helped Kyungsoo dry off and put pressure on the wound to stop the bleeding. But still it didn’t really help much. If Kyungsoo so much as moved a little bit, it would reopen and even the stitches had come undone.

“I thought you knew what you were doing? Aren’t you a doctor or something?” Chanyeol helped Kyungsoo onto his bed as he was slightly dumbfounded.

“I’m not. I told you I’m a government worker. I just sign papers and stuff…and kill other demons.” Kyungsoo explained lying down on her back and staring at the ceiling.

“Then, what do you usually do when you’re this badly hurt?” Chanyeol asked confusedly.

“I don’t know. I’ve never been this badly injured.” Kyungsoo propped herself up with her elbows to look at Chanyeol standing at the foot of her bed. “But we can eat human flesh and blood, or other demons, to heal ourselves.”

Kyungsoo stared at Chanyeol suggestively after making the statement. Chanyeol began to feel squeamish and uncomfortable under her heavy gaze. That was until Kyungsoo burst out laughing.

“You should have seen the look on your face.” Kyungsoo laughed, slapping the mattress beneath her. “Did you think I’d eat you?” Kyungsoo abruptly stopped laughing when she felt the pain sting in her stomach again. “Oh shit. I think I reopened the wound.”

 

 

Chanyeol’s baby blue sheets were now tinted with blood red. He had been procrastinating on doing his laundry and was usually too lazy to do it until he ran out of clean clothes to wear. Now was about a good time to do it. Chanyeol’s apartment was rather small and the washing machine was in the kitchen right beside the fridge, which in turn was beside the living room.

Kyungsoo was lying down on the couch until the sheets have been cleaned and dried off. It was midnight and the late night news was on TV. Kyungsoo wasn’t even paying attention to the news, her mind far off thinking of something else. She couldn’t move about much as it would reopen her wound and Kyungsoo sort of guessed that was what Chanyeol wanted. She was his prisoner and it would convenient Chanyeol to not have her moving around.

 

Kyungsoo fell asleep on the couch that night and woke up the next morning to the sounds of Chanyeol walking around the apartment, getting ready for work. Chanyeol had put a blanket on her while she was asleep.

“Oh, you’re awake. I’m leaving for work now. Don’t go anywhere and there’s food you can eat in the fridge. Try not to move around too much.” Chanyeol told Kyungsoo as he fixed his white clerical collar.

“Can I go home then?” Kyungsoo tried asking, still sitting up on the couch.

“No. Not yet.” Chanyeol affirmed from across the living room. “I’ll be home late so don’t do anything funny while I’m away.”

Chanyeol picked up his bag pack and his spear hidden in the case of a baseball bat, before walking to the door. Kyungsoo got up and slowly followed behind him to the door. “You know, I’m not your wife to be waiting for you all day at home.”

Chanyeol shook his head, “Just do as I say”. Chanyeol left and locked the door from outside, leaving Kyungsoo alone in the apartment again.

 

Kyungsoo got bored fast. There was not much she could do except watch TV and read the books Chanyeol had, which were mostly religious and spiritual. None of which interested a demon. She thought that he could at least give her something to do while he was at work.

 

At work, a demon was captured by the other exorcists and brought in for investigation. Chanyeol being the only exorcist who had served in the Underprison was tasked with the interrogation. The demon was a tall young female who looked around Kyungsoo’s age and shouted constantly. The demon coded “Beast” was deemed to be of no value for the Holy Cross Order and was to be exorcised. Chanyeol did not lie but he was reminded of Kyungsoo throughout the whole ordeal.

Chanyeol had assistance from Jongdae during the exorcism ritual. He was thankful for that because he hesitated and was very uncomfortable during the whole process, especially through “Beast’s” loud screams and wails. An interrupted exorcism usually ended up in possession of the distracted exorcist. Chanyeol did not want to risk that.

Chanyeol wondered if he was doing the right thing. “Beast” had a rather clean record for a demon and was exorcised for just simply being one. If an innocent human was killed, the killer would have been the condemned and inhumane one. The humans were now in that role, and Chanyeol tried to figure out which one of the two was the real demon.

 

 

Chanyeol left his bicycle at the church and took the subway home despite it being a clear evening. Chanyeol was too distracted and perturbed by his thoughts to cycle back home. He was scared he might actually run into something. During the entire ride on the subway home, Chanyeol sat in an empty section with his bag pack on his lap. His face was expressionless but his mind was going over many thoughts he had. Chanyeol had many questions and he thought Kyungsoo could probably answer them.

Chanyeol got off at his stop, a few minutes’ walk away from his apartment block. Passing by a street food stall, Chanyeol bought vegetable dumplings for Kyungsoo to eat. He made sure to ask the lady selling it if there were any animal based ingredients in it, before deciding to get it.

 

 

Chanyeol got home to find Kyungsoo crouching in the doorway with her head between her knees, as if she was ready to throw up.

“Are you alright?” Chanyeol inquired, putting his bag down and closing the door.

Kyungsoo raise her head to look up. She was pale and looked very sick. “I don’t really feel nice. I threw up three times.”

Chanyeol worriedly sat on the floor besides her. “Why, what’s wrong?”

Kyungsoo chuckled sarcastically. “You cage a demon in your little holy home and expect her not to get sick? There’s a crucifix on every wall and only your god knows how many times you probably had this place blessed.” With that being said, Kyungsoo got up and walked to the sink and threw up in there again.

Kyungsoo’s stomach was empty from throwing up too much. All that she vomited now was pungent and horrible tasting stomach acid juices. It felt like the morning sickness she had while pregnant with Sehun. After that, Kyungsoo had decided that it would be the first and last time she’d ever get pregnant.

Chanyeol watched Kyungsoo from behind, feeling guilty and clueless. It was true that all the holy items were making her sick and preventing her from healing the injuries. It was however what gave Chanyeol the upper advantage against her. If she was allowed to heal and regain her powers, she could probably just flick her thumb at Chanyeol to defeat him.

 

Chanyeol handed Kyungsoo a few pieces of tissue paper and she muttered a low “thanks”. Kyungsoo had moved to sit on the chair at the dining table, her head resting on the table as she groaned from the discomfort.

Chanyeol pulled out a chair to sit beside her. “Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?”

Kyungsoo’s head shot up from the table and she turned to face Chanyeol. “There is. Can you let me go?” Kyungsoo painfully smiled.

Chanyeol sighed, “Anything but that.” Chanyeol wasn’t too sure about keeping a demon but he had his reasons for now, even if it was for his own importance.

Kyungsoo grunted and returned to place her head back on the table sideways, facing away from Chanyeol and her cheek pressing onto the cool wooden surface. Kyungsoo had no expectations whatsoever and honestly thought the worst would happen now that she was being held captive, by a man who hunted demons for a living to boot. But still she thought it wouldn’t hurt to ask.

Chanyeol broke the silence. “You still haven’t told me your bra size so I can get you one.”

“Eh?” Kyungsoo lifted her head up. “Why don’t you put your hand around it and measure for yourself?”

“Don’t tempt me.” Chanyeol cautioned.

“Oh, so you were thinking of it?” Kyungsoo was teasing him at this point.

“No. I did not and will not”, Chanyeol denied avoiding eye contact with Kyungsoo who had her gazed fixed on him. “I will not ever think of doing such a thing.”

“Says the one who brought a demon home. Will your God be happy that you did that?” Kyungsoo propped an arm up on the table and rested her chin on her raised hand. 

Chanyeol had both hands his hands on the table and was looking at it to avoid staring at Kyungsoo, “I have no answer for you.”

“…because you don’t know the answer yourself?” Kyungsoo put her other hand out and ran her fingers across Chanyeol’s, tracing his soft skin and the callous around the pad of his finger tips.

Chanyeol saw her do this but did not protest or pull his hand away from her. He was partially lost in thought and partially following her fingers that were dancing over his. Kyungsoo pulled her hand back and Chanyeol almost whined at the lost of touch. He felt like grabbing her hand back into his, but was met with a grin from Kyungsoo. Chanyeol quickly looked to the floor instead to avoid her eyes.

“You really are a demon, aren’t you?” Chanyeol spoke softly. “…but why are you so different? Why did you not kill me that day?”

Kyungsoo tilted her head slightly. She was still looking at Chanyeol who was obviously trying his best to avoid her gaze. “Why would I kill if I don’t have the reason to do so? Do you think I just kill for fun?”

“Isn’t that what demons do?” Chanyeol now looked to Kyungsoo with sullen eyes, desperate for an answer that he could make sense for. “I don’t understand you. You are a demon but yet it doesn’t seem like you are.”

“Boy, there’s where you might be wrong.” This time, it was Kyungsoo who looked away. “If you think we demons are so different than you, you’re wrong. Sure we come from Hell but we’re quite alike. We have families too, we have emotions, we feel pain, we can love and we most certainly have room in ourselves for compassion.” Kyungsoo wiggled around her foot and was looking at her toes instead. “Not all of us are good, but humans aren’t void of fault too aren’t they?”

 

Chanyeol could agree on that but he still didn’t know if he wanted to believe what he heard. “So you’re saying you just pity me? Is that why you let me go?”

“Oh, I have a son too.” Kyungsoo piped up, resting one arm on the back of the chair and now turning to face Chanyeol. “He’s about your age more or less? If my son did no one harm and he was to be treated differently, I wouldn’t want that either. You are someone’s son too, Chanyeol.”

“…but I did try to hurt you. Actually, I did.” Chanyeol felt guilty now.

Kyungsoo quickly responded, “I hurt your friend. I deserved that. We’re even now like you said. You can let me go now…right?” Kyungsoo smiled, hoping that Chanyeol would agree to let her go. “Please?”

 

Chanyeol bit his lower lip in thought. He was taught about this. Demons would tell lies to get their way and tap into a human’s deepest desires. They knew the right words to say to gain a human’s trust. Demons weren’t supposed to be thoughtful and compassionate.

Chanyeol was cautious. He didn’t want to let his guard down, but he admits that Kyungsoo was tugging on his heart strings right now. Chanyeol wanted to believe her, but she contradicted everything he thought he knew. Actions spoke louder than words and Chanyeol wanted one more proof before he decided to take the proverbial leap of faith.

 

“You’ve never tasted a human’s flesh and blood, right?” Chanyeol confirmed once more as he got up from his chair, heading towards the kitchen drawer just right beside the table he and Kyungsoo were sitting at.

“I have never even considered it.” Kyungsoo answered, her head following Chanyeol’s movements.

Chanyeol looked through the drawer before he found one of his kitchen knives. Kyungsoo saw him pull out the knife and she began to tense, ready to run away as she thought of an escape route. She would just have to jump out of the window and try to force herself out from the holy barriers, with definite injuries on her part of course.

Chanyeol turned around to face her with the knife in his hand. Kyungsoo got up from the chair and stepped back slowly. She was on her heels and ready to sprint to the glass window anytime. This was it Kyungsoo thought. She blamed herself for even trusting a human, just because he had seemed nice to her.   
Kyungsoo was a sucker to anyone who even remotely gave her attention, which was how she had ended up with the hot-headed Jongin in the first place. Kyungsoo wanted to believe Chanyeol was an exception of a human, but she had been wrong in the past more than she had been right. This was no exception either. Good things don’t happen to her and Kyungsoo believed that.

 

Chanyeol saw that Kyungsoo was backing away from him. “Wait, I’m not going to hurt you.” He tried to reassure her.

“Sure tell me that when you don’t have the knife in your hand, buddy.” Kyungsoo grimaced. Even if the knife wasn’t a holy item, Kyungsoo was already unable to heal from her injuries and even a normal household item would be lethal to her in that state.

Chanyeol rolled up the sleeve of his uniform up to his left elbow. With a pursed lip, Chanyeol held the tip of the knife against his forearm.

“What the fuck are you doing?” Kyungsoo asked now confused.

“I’m not sure myself either.” Chanyeol slashed a vertical cut on the skin on the middle of his inner forearm, leaving a streak of blood oozing from the wound.

Kyungsoo rushed up to Chanyeol and wrestled him for the knife. Kyungsoo managed to take it away from him as she stood about a foot away from him.

“What are you doing!?” Kyungsoo almost yelled with a worried expression on her face. “Self harm is not the answer to things.” Kyungsoo held the knife behind her back as if to prevent it from falling into Chanyeol’s hands again.

 

Chanyeol stood with a pained look, resting the palm of his injured arm on the table. Chanyeol breathed heavily and looked down onto the table, where blood was trickling onto the table top. Chanyeol looked up to see an agitated Kyungsoo.

“Don’t you want this?” Chanyeol beckoned to his injured bleeding arm. “Don’t demons thrive on this?”

“No, I don’t want it.” Kyungsoo firmly asserted. “Please tend to your injuries.”

Chanyeol lifted his arm to his chest level, letting the blood drip down from the height. It was a bloody mess, on the table a small puddle of blood had formed and was slowly dripping onto the floor. Chanyeol began shaking, “Then, are you going to let this go to waste? You can heal yourself with this and escape this place anytime. Why are you not doing it?”

“You shouldn’t offer yourself like that to a demon if you are not ready to face the repercussions. If you offer a demon your blood, they won’t just stop there. They’ll eat you alive while they’re at it.” Kyungsoo warned Chanyeol, although she was very concerned for him.

Chanyeol lightly chuckled despite the tense situation, “But you’re different aren’t you?” Chanyeol was testing Kyungsoo and he thought that even he if he lost his life while at it, it would at least be worth it. Chanyeol felt that he was going to Hell anyway at that point, and that fact didn’t matter too much anymore.

Kyungsoo placed the knife on the top of the fridge beside her, before she slowly walked up to Chanyeol. Chanyeol saw her approach, standing very close towards him at the edge of the table.

“May I then?” Kyungsoo looked up to Chanyeol for the consent.

Chanyeol’s voice was so low that he almost whispered, “Yes”.

Kyungsoo tucked her hair behind her ears and gently tugged on Chanyeol’s arm to bring it closer to her person. Kyungsoo slightly bent down and licked her tongue up the length of the laceration on Chanyeol’s arm. She could taste his skin and blood at the same time. Chanyeol slightly flinched at the initial sting of her wet tongue.

Kyungsoo kissed the wound and sucked on the blood, while pressing a thumb over where her mouth couldn’t fully envelope the cut. It was a pretty long cut. Chanyeol scrunched his eyes shut and breathed heavily. He was ready to be eaten alive and end up with the same fate like the corpse in his dreams. Chanyeol’s heart was racing from the anticipation of fear that he didn’t realize Kyungsoo calling out to him.

She had cupped a hand over the wound to stop the bleeding, while her other hand held his arm steady. “Chanyeol, I think you should get this attended to.”

Chanyeol took a few seconds to realize that he wasn’t dead. “Oh, are you done?”

“Did you want me to drain you or something?” Kyungsoo sarcastically replied, looking up to meet Chanyeol’s gaze.

“No.” Chanyeol shook his head, his arms in her hands still. “…can you stitch it up for me?”

“Sure.” Kyungsoo agreed. “I use a 75C bra by the way.”

Chanyeol smiled. “I’ll remember that.”

 

 

Chanyeol slept on the floor again that night while Kyungsoo slept on his bed. She may have been a demon but Chanyeol treated her more like a guest, and he would never let a guest sleep on the floor. Kyungsoo had stitched Chanyeol’s wound up, and complained that he moved around too much while she was at it. Chanyeol only laughed back when he did it on purpose just to annoy her.

Chanyeol dreamt of Kyungsoo again that night. It was a different dream this time. He was standing in a large field of flowers in what seemed to be a hilly area. Chanyeol had never been here before nor did he know what kind of flowers grew around, he only knew it was white in color. The wind blew, sending the white petals of flowers into the air and ruffling his hair. In front of him, Kyungsoo stood dressed in a white military uniform he had never seen before. Her black hair was dancing in the wind, as she pushed it out of her face and smiled at him.

Chanyeol could feel himself smiling back at her in the dream. Chanyeol looked down where he saw a name tag on Kyungsoo’s uniform. It read “A. E. Faulstich”. Who was A. E. Faulstich and why was Kyungsoo wearing a tag with that name? Was it Kyungsoo’s real name? If so, then what did the initials stood for? Why was a demon even walking around with their real name displayed if that was the case?

Chanyeol had many questions, but he knew it was a dream. Just like everything previously, Chanyeol believed none of it was real. Chanyeol didn’t really want to know Kyungsoo’s real name. Even if she told him, Chanyeol believed he didn’t have the right to know what it was.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 75C is like a 34C in US/UK sizes. herpderp.


	6. I wish I knew an answer

 

Chanyeol was warned about it, and an exorcist like him should have known better. Not only had he aided a demon but also committed the sin of benefitting one. Kyungsoo’s injuries healed with his blood and if the Holy Cross Order found about that, Chanyeol could only imagine the consequences that he would be put through. He was supposed to be a man of God, not helping God’s enemies. Chanyeol thought that since he had made himself an enemy of God, he might as well fraternize with the demons. An enemy of your enemy is an ally after all. Chanyeol still wanted to believe that deep down, he could still earn his redemption somehow.

 

Chanyeol couldn’t move his left arm around much and opted to wear it in an arm sling so he could rest it. Chanyeol had to take the subway to work for about a week since he could not ride his bicycle from the injury. Jongdae saw Chanyeol wearing the sling when he walked into work the next morning. When asked, Chanyeol lied about falling off his bicycle due to unfavorable road conditions. Telling the truth was the eighth Catholic commandment, something that was drilled into Chanyeol since a young age. Chanyeol didn’t want to think about it but his faith sure did feel shaken at that point.

There was supposed to be another demon hunting mission that day but Jongdae passed on the case to the other exorcists due to Chanyeol’s injury, so they only had to take care of paperwork instead.

 

 

Chanyeol returned home the next evening to find Kyungsoo sitting on the kitchen counter, her legs swinging over the edge. The house smelled like freshly cooked food.

“Welcome back.” Kyungsoo greeted. “I cooked dinner because I was bored and didn’t have anything to do.”

Chanyeol as usual put his bag down and took off his shoes at the doorway. “You don’t have to actually. What did you make?”

“Stir fried vegetables and there’s sautéed meat for you too. I cooked whatever I found in your fridge and I think you might want rice too so there’s some in the rice cooker too.” Kyungsoo replied, still sitting on the counter.

Chanyeol looked into the pots and rice cooker and saw that she had indeed made them all. Chanyeol took a spoon to taste the cooking and it was quite tasteless but nothing too bad. “No salt?”

Kyungsoo disapprovingly shook her head, “Of course not. I’m a demon and we only can use processed salt. All you have is rock salt. Not unless you’re trying to kill me, then sure we can use that. How do you even cook with that anyway?”

Chanyeol forgot constantly that Kyungsoo was actually a demon. “Right. I’ll remember to get that for you.”

 

After a shower, Chanyeol sat down to have dinner with Kyungsoo. She was the first person other than himself to sit at the dining table to eat with him. Chanyeol had never brought anyone over for meals at his apartment since he moved back to Seoul almost a year ago. His family came over to help him move in but they have not been there since. Chanyeol made a mental note to remember to call his parents later.

“I’m surprised you actually know how to cook human food.” Chanyeol commented after he had chewed and swallowed a slice of meat.

Kyungsoo was sitting with one leg up on the chair. “Demons usually eat the same food humans do, more or less. Do you think we keep our freezers filled with human meat to cook for our meals?” Kyungsoo laughed. “We prefer fresh human meat while it’s still alive.”

Chanyeol wasn’t going to ask more. If Kyungsoo tried explaining further, Chanyeol might throw up from the mental image of her graphic descriptions. He was the one who brought a demon into his house after all. He was in no position to complain about it.

 

 

Kyungsoo continued making dinners for the both of them and cleaning up the house. Kyungsoo didn’t feel like she owed Chanyeol to do his chores for him. She only did so because she was bored and felt uncomfortable watching TV all day. The only thing she couldn’t do was take the trash out and hang the laundry on the balcony, due to the barriers that Chanyeol had set up.

Kyungsoo would just put the clean laundry in a basket and Chanyeol would hang it up later. Kyungsoo had been hiding in the human world previously on the run from Jongin, and had a general idea of how household chores worked. Kyungsoo would write a grocery list or Chanyeol to shop for. Never have Chanyeol ever thought his fridge would be full of fruits and vegetables, or that he would be shopping for pads and tampons. Chanyeol didn’t even know demons could be on their periods. Chanyeol bought Kyungsoo more clothes for her to wear, and her own towel and toothbrush. It felt like she had permanently moved into his place.

 

Occasionally, Chanyeol would come back home to find dinner cooked but Kyungsoo would be curled up on the bed in pain. Kyungsoo got sick every now and then from the holy items in the house but it would usually recede within a few hours. Chanyeol felt bad for doing that to her but he couldn’t let her go. She was too involved with Chanyeol at this point. If she ever got caught, the Order could trace her back to Chanyeol. Chanyeol wasn’t sure if he was ready to face that.

Chanyeol thought that since she seemed so human, he could just keep lying to himself that she wasn’t demon to begin with. Chanyeol knew it was selfish but he had gone too far down the rabbit hole to pull out without getting hurt. There will be consequences for sure.

 

 

Like Kyungsoo had guessed, after two weeks did the demons began to realize Kyungsoo had not been sending back reports to Hell. Human world deployment missions were known to take a lengthy time, and some demons had to go into hiding depending on where they were at. Reports were only sent about weekly because not every demon in the human world could contact or meet up with their handler, which in Kyungsoo’s case was Alexandra, who was also her uncle’s assistant.

Alexandra handled over twenty other demons in South Korea alone. It was not until Kyungsoo was due with two reports that she realized Kyungsoo was missing. Alexandra admitted she worried the least about Kyungsoo, and never paid her much attention. Kyungsoo was one of the higher ranked demons and could have easily defeated anyone who went against her after all.

Alexandra sent the report to Kris who sent it to Sehun. Sehun decided to set out to the human world to look for his mother without even letting Jongin know about it.

 

Sehun sighed and rubbed his temple. He was standing outside an empty bus stop with Alexandra at night time. “You have absolutely no idea where she is? Aren’t you supposed to know where everyone is? That’s your job.”

“Uh…yeah?” Alexandra fidgeted nervously. “…but your mother is a strong demon so I never really minded her. I took for granted that she always returned from missions safe.”

“Strong!? She’s reckless too! Who knows what she probably got into?” Sehun had to admit his mother was very reckless despite being an overall decent individual.

 “I’m sorry, your Highness.” Alexandra apologized, looking very scared. “We’ll find her. But please don’t let your father find out about this. I beg you.”

Alexandra was frightened for her life should the Crown Prince Jongin find out about her blunder, and that Kyungsoo was missing and in potential danger. Even though they have been divorced for almost over a year now, Jongin was still very much obsessed about Kyungsoo. Alexandra did not want to face Jongin’s wrath for losing Kyungsoo.

“I know I know. I’m going to get in trouble myself if we don’t find her.  I won’t tell him because I don’t want to deal with that either. We have to look for her by the end of this week. We’re supposed to have a family dinner and my father is going to freak if she isn’t there.” Sehun honestly felt like his head was bursting from the pressure of the situation. He felt more like the parent more than his own in the current mishap they were in.

 

Alexandra and Sehun set out to look for Kyungsoo on feet because Kris was too cheap to provide them with a car even when his own niece is missing. They passed by the apartment block where Kyungsoo was currently staying with Chanyeol.

Sehun stopped by across the road from the building feeling something ominous. “Do you think she could be there?”

Alexandra tried to explain, “Our people have reported that they have been in this vicinity within the past two weeks. If your mother was here, they would know that and have told us already. If your mother is being held captive, I doubt she would be held in just a normal human dwelling. We can't waste time just to search that entire building when it's almost impossible that she woud be there in the first place.”

Sehun believed Alexandra and her words did made sense. They quickly made their way and thinned the chances of Kyungsoo ever escaping.

At the same time, Kyungsoo was sitting solemnly alone at the table. She had made dinner and was waiting for Chanyeol to come home. Kyungsoo wanted to return to Hell but she remembered that she still had to deal with Jongin regularly if she did. Being in the human world was a blessing in disguise because she didn’t have to deal with a manipulative ex-husband, but at the same time she hated herself for not trying hard enough to leave. It was as if Kyungsoo felt comfortable enough to stay there.

Chanyeol didn’t treat her badly, but he was still human after all and Kyungsoo believed that it was in their nature to hate demons just for being who they are.  Kyungsoo knew that if she got involved deeper with Chanyeol, he would eventually come to resent her one day, and that she would only come to hate herself.

 

 

After dinner that night, Kyungsoo sat at the couch watching TV while Chanyeol worked in his spare room. Some action movie was showing, about a secret agent father who was on a mission to save his kidnapped child. Kyungsoo’s fixed her eyes on the TV but she was barely paying attention to it. She was nibbling on her thumb in thought. Kyungsoo didn’t talk much to Chanyeol that day as she felt like she needed to distance herself from him.  
Chanyeol was a human after all, and she didn’t understand why he would even bother keeping her around and actually making sure she was taken care of. Humans weren’t supposed to treat demons that nicely.

Chanyeol left the door open so he could see Kyungsoo on the couch from his desk in the spare room. Chanyeol was working on a report to the Vatican and occasionally looked up to see Kyungsoo. She did not notice him looking from the room even once, as she was engrossed in her thoughts.

 

After a while, Chanyeol got up from his desk to stretch around and decided to accompany Kyungsoo for a while. Chanyeol plopped down on the couch beside Kyungsoo who had a pillow on her lap.

“Oh, do you want the pillow?” Kyungsoo tried to offer Chanyeol the pillow.

“Nah, you can use it.” Chanyeol smiled as she shook his head.

“Alright then.” Kyungsoo shrugged it off, putting it back onto her lap. She was actually using it to warm her thighs.

 

“What’s the movie about?” Chanyeol asked, leaning one arm on the back of the couch to support his head.

“I think it’s called _Taken_. It’s about some father saving their kid from kidnappers.” Kyungsoo explained to him.

“I heard about that one. It was quite popular a few years ago.” Chanyeol mentioned. “If I had a child who got kidnapped, I think I would do the same.”

“Yeah, I would too.” Kyungsoo added.

“Didn’t you say that you have a son?” Chanyeol tilted his head supported by his arm to look at Kyungsoo to his left.

Kyungsoo clarified, “Yeah. He’s about your age I think.”

Chanyeol stated, “I’m turning twenty-seven next month. How old is he?”

“You’re younger then. My son is thirty-three.” Kyungsoo almost giggled at how young she realized Chanyeol was. “I am definitely old enough to be your mother.”

“Looks like that makes you very old isn’t it?” Chanyeol half joked, fully knowing how long demons could live.

“To you I might be old, in Hell not so much. I’m 259 years old for the record.”

This time Chanyeol laughed. “That is old. You can probably be my five times grandmother.”

“If I was, you wouldn’t be laughing.” Kyungsoo smugly commented.

 

Chanyeol apologized and stopped laughing, folding his arms over his chest now. “So, if you have a son does that mean you’re married?”

“I’m divorced. He doesn’t care about me anymore but he bothers me a lot still, because he believed I’d never leave him but I did just that.” Kyungsoo answered. “I think I hurt his ego or pride. He comes from a good family and got everything he wanted. He’s just not used to things not going his way.”

“Wow. That doesn’t sound so good.” Chanyeol remarked. “It’s probably a good thing you left him.”

“Sort of,” Kyungsoo paused, “How about your family?”

“I have a sister but my parents won’t let her become a nun or else they won’t have grandkids, since I already become a priest.” Chanyeol chuckled. “The church won’t let us get married or even have sex.”

“That’s a shame isn’t it?” Kyungsoo noted.

Chanyeol inquired, “What is a shame?”

Kyungsoo disclosed, “Not having children. Maybe if you had one, you could pass down your values and they could treat demons better too. Our race wouldn’t have to kill each other all the time but that’s just wishful thinking.” Kyungsoo shrugged. "You shouldn't force yourself to have children though if that's not what you want. Once you become a parent, you never stop being one."

 

Chanyeol couldn’t find an answer for that statement. He had not thought about it. He didn't care or was too bothered about the remark of having children. Chanyeol was more pressed by Kyungsoo's comment that one day demons and humans could possibly stop killing each other. He wasn’t ready to hear it even if he could find some truth within Kyungsoo’s words. For centuries, demons were known as one of human’s greatest enemies. So much so that even the word “demon” itself even evolved to become a slur term for cruel and evil.

Chanyeol could continue pretending that Kyungsoo wasn’t a demon and the race of his sworn enemy. Chanyeol could continue lying to himself and running from the truth. It was tiring and breathless. Or he could stop running and face the fact that demons didn’t have to be the enemies, and that they were very much alike humans. For now, Chanyeol was just much undecided.

 

 

Chanyeol held the homily or sermon for that Sunday’s morning mass in place for the usual pastor who was down with a sore throat. The topic had also been prepared and decided beforehand by the pastor Chanyeol was filling in for. The sermon was regarding phrases from the Book of John, which heavily touched on believing and unwavering faith towards God and religion. Chanyeol never felt more sinful than he ever did in his life, despite preaching the word of God at the same time. Chanyeol was surprised that divine judgment didn’t strike upon him there and then.

 

After the service and during the gap before the afternoon mass, Chanyeol stood in the empty church hall in front of the stained glass which spanned from the ceiling to the floor. Clutching a bible to his chest, Chanyeol gazed upon the artwork of the saints on the stained glass as the late morning October sun shone through the panes. As a child, Chanyeol might have dreamt of being canonized one day but it looked as if he had just bought himself a ticket to Hell at that point.

Chanyeol sighed to himself when he heard someone walk up behind him. Chanyeol turned to see Jongdae standing beside him.

“You did well today. The sisters made lunch for everyone. Do you want to have lunch with us?” Jongdae encouragingly smiled to Chanyeol.

“I’ll go in a bit.” Chanyeol replied, turning his attention back to the glass.

“You look stressed? Are you alright?” Jongdae tapped Chanyeol on the shoulder.

Chanyeol slightly jumped. “Yeah, I’m good. There’s just been a lot on my mind lately.”

“Whatever it is, the Lord will always listen to your worries. Have you tried praying?” Jongdae suggested with a kind smile on his face.

Chanyeol hated this part. He knew Jongdae was looking out for him and genuinely wanted him to feel better, but Chanyeol didn’t want to pray. Not anymore did he want to. He believed himself to be a hypocrite and he was better off becoming an apostate than what he was now. But still, the thought of leaving everything he had dedicated his life to scared him very much. He was treading blindly into unknown waters.

“Thank you, sunbaenim. I will most certainly do so.” Chanyeol faked a smile and pretended to consider Jongdae’s words.

Not only did Chanyeol have to lie to himself now, he had to lie to everybody. Chanyeol most certainly did not pray and left just right after afternoon mass was done. He felt like a "demon" himself now. 

 

 

After another two weeks, Chanyeol’s arm had healed enough for him to return using his bicycle and Kyungsoo had decided it was time to open his stitches after he returned from mass. It was also Sunday and Kyungsoo had sent him on a grocery shopping list to get before going home.

Chanyeol felt even guilty when the grocer who sold the vegetables decided to give him an extra few for free. The grocer was a devout Catholic and was happy to donate extra to a “man of god”, especially seeing Chanyeol’s black priest robe. Chanyeol had tried to pay but couldn’t refuse it when grocer only asked for Chanyeol to pray for him in return. Chanyeol lied and said he would. He wasn’t sure if he really would. He thought he would just get the other priests and nuns to pray for the grocer. Chanyeol didn’t feel like he was worthy of being in that position anymore. He buried the fact that the vegetables would be fed to a demon later, probably a far cry than what the grocer thought.

 

 

As usual, Chanyeol would lock up his bicycle in the designated area before walking up four floors to his apartment unit. Chanyeol’s unit was somewhere in the middle of the hallway. Chanyeol had both his hands carrying paper bags from buying the list of items Kyungsoo had instructed him to.  Chanyeol was passing by his next door neighbor’s unit when the door opened and a middle aged lady with curly hair and a pink shirt appeared from behind it. It was his neighbor, the retired lady known as Mrs. Choi.

“Good afternoon, Mrs. Choi.” Chanyeol greeted, slightly bowing his head.

“Good day to you too, Father Park”, she greeted back.”I want to tell you something.”

“What could it be?” Chanyeol curiously asked.

Mrs. Choi beckoned him to come closer. Chanyeol did as instructed and leant in. She almost whispered to him. “When you’re at work during the day, I hear sounds in your house. So, I decided to peep from the balcony because I thought it was a burglar but it was just a woman cleaning your house. Then I remembered you lived alone. Who is she? Is everything alright?”

Chanyeol was better at lying these days. “Yeah, everything is okay. That is…uh my cousin.” Chanyeol pretended to laugh. “She just returned from studying overseas and she needed a place to stay so she’s staying with me for a while.”

“Oh…I see.” Mrs. Choi smiled back. “I was worried for no reason then.”

“Yeah, everything is good.” Chanyeol added with a false reassuring smile he had learned to plaster on his face. “I’m sorry I should have introduced her to you so we could have avoided the confusion.”

 

 

Chanyeol most certainly thought he was done for at that moment. Mrs. Choi may have not been affiliated to the Holy Cross Order or even believe in demons, but Chanyeol had every right to be nervous and think of the worse at that moment. He was busted already, just not by the church yet. It was scary and nerve wrecking instead. Chanyeol began to freak out that just given time, the church would find out and that would probably be the end of him.

Chanyeol was already stressed enough about his faith and whether he was doing the right thing. Chanyeol knew that he couldn’t keep Kyungsoo forever and that the truth would always prevail, if not today then tomorrow. Chanyeol was too tense to even think of being caught while he was still in a self questioning phase, that he could almost feel his skin crawl during the conversation he had with Mrs. Choi.

 

Kyungsoo was waiting by the door when Chanyeol entered his apartment. “Welcome back.” Kyungsoo greeted him with her arms behind her back.

Chanyeol locked the door behind him and made sure he did it properly. Chanyeol did not reply and shoved the paper bags at Kyungsoo, while he took off his shoes and headed to the windows straight after. Chanyeol made sure all the windows were shut tight too and closed all the curtains, leaving the apartment very dim even in the afternoon.

“Is everything alright?” Kyungsoo asked as she set down the paper bags onto the counter.

 

Chanyeol angrily walked up to Kyungsoo so close that he was literally talking into her face. “My neighbor saw and heard you. I had to lie that you were my cousin and thank god she actually believed me.”

“Okay? What about that?” Kyungsoo backed away from Chanyeol. “What did I do?”

Chanyeol grabbed Kyungsoo on the shoulders. She was obviously very uncomfortable at the situation and her expression said it all.

“Do you know what will happen to me if I get caught for helping a demon?” Chanyeol’s raspy voice boomed as he almost yelled into her face.

Kyungsoo flinched as she turned to look away from Chanyeol, “You were the one who wanted to help me. I didn’t ask for it in the first place or expected you to.”

“I might get killed for this.” Chanyeol growled at Kyungsoo. “Traitors to the church are treated the same way demons are. I am a human. I’m not a demon like you!”

 

There was a pause before Kyungsoo turned to face Chanyeol in the eye once more. “So you know demons are treated terribly even if they are innocent, just for being who we are. It’s not like any of us even asked to be born this way. Only when you’re faced with the possible fear of being treated like a demon, then you get scared? Did being privileged for so long make you feel that way?”

Kyungsoo pushed Chanyeol’s hand off of her person. Kyungsoo touched her shoulders that hurt from being grabbed too hard, as she looked onto the floor to avoid meeting Chanyeol’s gaze.

“I don’t even know what I was thinking for treating you like a human. You really are just a demon after all, no matter how different you look. I should have just exorcised you from the very beginning. I’m in this because of you. This is your fault. This is why demons are enemies. Your kind only knows how to bring trouble.” Chanyeol angrily spat out without thinking through his words.

“I never asked you to help me in the first place. You did it out of your own will.” Kyungsoo spoke as she tried to fight herself from tearing up. “You should have just killed me if you know you would come to hate me eventually for it.”

 

Jongin used to talk to her like that, and it scared her every time he did so. He would go on and on about how he regretted marrying her and how much he wished he never did so. After saying all that, Jongin would always come back later to apologize and try to make it up before repeating the cycle over and over. Kyungsoo was constantly threading on egg shells around him and eventually got fed up of it. Now, it felt like Chanyeol was doing the same thing all over again.

Kyungsoo was just disappointed in herself. She wanted to believe Chanyeol was different and that she could have been the exception in demon-human relations. Kyungsoo didn’t believe she was good enough to be that exception after all. Kyungsoo blamed herself and that everything was her fault.

Kyungsoo was beginning to cry and she didn’t want Chanyeol to see her doing so. It was not like her to cry, but she sure did feel emotional at that point. She was already weak enough in his eyes. Kyungsoo pushed through Chanyeol and walked to the room before locking herself in.

Chanyeol saw her leave for the room from over his shoulders. His head hung low. Kyungsoo was right. She didn’t ask for any of this and he had forced her into it out of his selfishness. It was akin to blaming your child’s existence for ruining your life, when you were the one who brought them into the world in the first place. But Chanyeol didn’t ask to be born into a religion either, nor was he born hating demons. No one is born hating another after all. Chanyeol began to realize what actually stood between him and Kyungsoo.

Chanyeol sunk onto the floor, his back resting on the foot of the kitchen counter. Chanyeol sighed from the stress, feeling more scared than ever.

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> how did this get so angsty


	7. You deserve better

 

“Chanyeol, you better move your salty bitch ass or be late for work.” Kyungsoo tried to wake Chanyeol up as she shook him on the shoulders.

Chanyeol slept on the couch because Kyungsoo had locked him out of the room from their argument the previous day. They had not talked to each other since. Chanyeol simply grunted and turned over, still fast asleep. As a mother, Kyungsoo was honestly used to this scenario although Sehun never had much of a problem waking in the mornings.

“It’s almost 7am already.” Kyungsoo informed the sleeping Chanyeol.

Chanyeol jolted upright after hearing that. “W-what?” The mention of the time was like an alarm clock for him. Chanyeol swore he heard Kyungsoo calling him a “bitch” but he wasn’t very sure and it wasn’t a big deal anyway.

“You better hurry.” Kyungsoo told him as she headed to the kitchen.

Chanyeol immediately got up to get ready while Kyungsoo made his meals to go. Kyungsoo handed him the lunch box before he left. Things were still obviously tense and awkward between the both of them. They haven’t spoken much either that morning and yesterday’s incident had not been brought up.

“Bye”, Chanyeol muttered under his breath as he left for work that morning.

“Take care”, Kyungsoo replied to him as she locked the door after him.

 

Kyungsoo heaved a sigh once she was alone in the apartment again. Taking off her apron and hanging it up, Kyungsoo decided to take a shower to start the day. Kyungsoo undressed and threw her clothes into the dirty laundry basket, before looking through the drawers for clothes to wear later. Kyungsoo couldn’t help but notice her crimson cape which had been cleaned and folded in the drawer. Kyungsoo hadn’t worn her cape since and she had only been there a month but it felt like forever.

 Kyungsoo spent quite some of her time looking at herself in the shower mirror. She wasn’t one to stare at her own image but what caught her attention were the bruises left on her shoulders, from where Chanyeol had grabbed onto her too hard yesterday. The bruises imprinted onto her shoulders in finger marks ached and throbbed under the hot steam of the water running from the shower. This was the second time Kyungsoo had been hurt by a human, and both times it was Chanyeol. Kyungsoo started wondering how she got so weak or how Chanyeol got so strong.

 

 

Chanyeol liked to be punctual and tardiness was not something he enjoyed. Work starts at 8am for him and he managed to arrive by 7:57am that morning. About 13 minutes later than he usually arrived at. Jongdae had already arrived and was sitting in his desk peering at him from his glasses.

“Good morning, Father Park.” Jongdae greeted. “A bit in a rush today I see.”

“I am quite a bit. I woke up late.” Chanyeol sighed as he sat down on his chair, putting his bag pack and packed lunch down. “I didn’t think I’d make it in time.”

Jongdae chuckled. “You know it’s alright to be a little late sometimes. Sometimes things don’t happen as we planned, but God always has something in store for us.”

“Yeah, he sure does.” Chanyeol smiled as he thought that whichever God up there had to be a sadist who enjoyed watching his misery.

“I see you brought your lunch today. Decided for home cooked food, I see?” Jongdae pointed to the lunch box Kyungsoo had packed for him.

Chanyeol had to lie again. “Yeah, I cooked a lot for dinner and I didn’t want it to go bad.” Chanyeol couldn’t tell Jongdae that a demon was packing his lunch. Once again, Chanyeol came so close to having his secret discovered.

Jongdae believed Chanyeol. Jongdae was a good man who always had his back in the line of duty and looked out for him as his senior. But Chanyeol knew that if it ever came down to it, Jongdae would definitely choose his religion over Chanyeol. If Chanyeol got in trouble for assisting a demon, he could only hope that Kyungsoo would help him, not that he was sure she would anyway. Hoping a demon to come to his rescue was the most farfetched thing Chanyeol ever believed in.

 

After lunch, Chanyeol and Jongdae received a mission to hunt a demon codenamed “Flora”. Flora had been notorious lately and formed several contracts with humans before consuming their souls, and leaving their dead bodies decorated in elaborate flower decorations. She did not eat humans and the police was also hunting after her, believing her to be a psychopath murderer.

The police force is not equipped to hunt a demon and the Holy Cross Order had to get to Flora first. She was sighted in a café, in a very public place with a young boy of about five or six years old sitting beside her. The boy had even addressed Flora as her mother and seemed to be very affectionate towards her. Chanyeol and Jongdae sat at the table across observing her, their crosses glowing from the presence of a demon.

“Do you think that’s her son?” Chanyeol whispered to Jongdae. “Why would she even bring her child to the human world?”

“Then it’s probably not hers. Young demons don’t leave Hell. It’s probably a human child that she kidnapped and thinks of her as the mother.” Jongdae whispered lowly back.

 

Flora saw them and shot them a glare from across the café. Carefully, she grabbed the boy’s hand in hers as she quickly left the café. Jongdae chased after Flora as Chanyeol left bills on the table for the server to pick up later.

The duo followed the demon and child all the way to an abandoned school building where she finally stopped in a ruined classroom, and turned to face them.

“It’s time to die, isn’t it?” Flora weakly stated with pain in her eyes.

“You’ve killed humans so that must be the case. If you do not fight us, we’ll make it easier for you.” Jongdae calmly spoke with an open bible ready in his hands.

Flora bit back her tears as the young boy tugged onto her sleeve, asking why she was crying and talking about dying. She didn’t even seem to want to fight back, and had seemingly surrendered to her fate.

Chanyeol standing behind Jongdae had his mouth gaped open, suprised at the situation. He looked to Flora to the young boy to Jongdae. Chanyeol pitied them and was confused. He was supposed to kill them but at the same time he wanted to save them. Chanyeol was surprised at himself for actually feeling that way.

“Please spare my son at least.” Flora dropped to her knees in tears. “He’s human like you. You won’t kill a human right? All those people I killed, I did it for him. He needed to feed. They sold their souls to me willingly. I did not take it from them and I left their bodies untouched. Please let my son live.”

“What are you talking about? If your son is human, he won’t need to feed on souls and those people wouldn’t be dead.” Jongdae furiously retorted.

“His father is human. He’s only half demon.” Flora shrieked. “He was born sick because of that and I needed to feed him human souls so he could survive. I just wanted my son to live”

Jongdae looked to Chanyeol confusingly, “I didn’t know that was possible.”

“Me neither. I think we should bring them in instead.” Chanyeol suggested nervously. He didn’t want to kill this demon especially when what she stated could have been very much true.

“She’s on the high threat list. We have to kill her.” Jongdae insisted. “Grab the child and I’ll take care of the mother.”

“I don’t think we should, sunbaenim. Let’s just take her in.” Chanyeol tried to bargain for a demon’s life. “We still don’t know the true story.”

“Father Park! Don’t be tempted by a demon. She’s just doing that to get to you. Remember your training!” Jongdae furiously yelled at Chanyeol.

Chanyeol had no choice as he swept in to grab the child. “I’m sorry.” Chanyeol muttered to Flora before Jongdae performed the exorcism ritual alone as her screams permeated and echoed through the walls.

Chanyeol hugged the child close to him, to avoid him from seeing the event. The boy tried fighting and squirming against Chanyeol to be with his mother, but Chanyeol prevented him from doing so. There was a moment of silence before the young boy started crying for his mother in Chanyeol’s arms. Chanyeol tried to fight back his own tears. Chanyeol regretted becoming an exorcist right then. Demons did not turn out as evil as he thought them to be.

 

The Flora case caused a huge uproar within the Order, that a Vatican emissary from the headquarters was immediately dispatched to Seoul to sort the case on the very same day. The young boy was traced back to an actual human father who passed DNA tests to prove their relation. Although the demon signifying cross glowed around the boy, he seemed to be more resistant to Holy Scriptures and silver, although not completely immune. He was also weak to constant sunlight exposure, although being fine with low exposure. The father turned out to be a high government official whom the Vatican didn’t want to mess with, and the boy was sent back to his human family.

 

For the entire four days the case lasted, Chanyeol and Jongdae were not allowed to go home while representatives from Vatican worked on the case. They had to bunk in with the monks who stayed at the church. Chanyeol had managed to sneak a phone call to Kyungsoo, explaining to her that he wouldn’t be home for a few days. Chanyeol had something he wanted to ask Kyungsoo but saved it for later.

Living in a church was boring to say the least. All the nuns and monks did were pray, study, read and listen to the people who came to confess to them. Chanyeol was only stuck for a few days but he already started to miss home and even Kyungsoo.

Chanyeol had to share a room with a middle aged monk who snored in his sleep. Unable to sleep through that, Chanyeol visited the empty church hall at night. It was quiet, all the pews were empty and only a few lights had been left on. The candle on the altar beneath the statue of the Virgin Mary was almost burning out.

Chanyeol sat on an empty pew, taking peace in the quiet and tranquility. Chanyeol closed his eyes and began to feel sleepy when he heard the sound of the church organ being played on the mezzanine floor above him. It was a loud and calming tune, and sounded awfully familiar. Chanyeol was sure he heard this tune before, but he had attended Mass every Sunday for almost all his life and it could have been any song that was played then.

Chanyeol walked up to the mezzanine floor where he saw a light haired man in formal black attire behind the pedals of the organ. Chanyeol didn’t recognize this man and he wasn’t the resident church organist either. The church doors were always open so anyone could come to pray even at night, it wasn’t rare to see people walk in at late hours. But Chanyeol had never seen one come up to the organ and play it as well as the organist did.

The man saw Chanyeol and stopped. He got up, straightened his coat and smiled at Chanyeol. “Good evening, Father. It’s an impressive one you got here. Looks well maintained and taken care of.”

“Good evening to you too, sir. Thank you and we do take care of everything in the church very well.” Chanyeol slightly bowed his head. “Do you wish to pray?”

“That wouldn’t be necessary.” The man smiled at Chanyeol. He was pretty tall himself too.

“I just went here to take care of things. Looks like it should be alright from heron.” The man smiled and patted Chanyeol on the shoulder. “Have a good evening, Father. I’ll be on my way.”

The man bade goodbye and left the church in long strides without looking back once. Chanyeol assumed he was another person sent from the Vatican and didn’t heed it too much.

 

 

The next day, the Flora case was closed immediately and removed on file. Jongdae and Chanyeol were put on a gag order to never speak of it anymore. It was almost as if the Order knew about the existence of demon-human hybrids and was trying to hide it. Chanyeol noticed that the young boy had one similarity to Kyungsoo; they both had black hair despite being demon. Chanyeol was more than eager to find out now, but at the same time preferred if he never knew. Chanyeol admitted her mysterious nature made her more alluring and attractive to him. He believed he was already going to Hell anyway. He might as well enjoy being alive until that time came.

Being able to go home was a blessing after being stuck there for days unable to do anything as Vatican agents drilled him with questions and ordered him to keep his mouth shut. Chanyeol simply agreed to everything they said so he could get it done with soon. He just wanted to go home as soon as possible. He still needed to apologize to Kyungsoo and there was something in a book he had at home that he wanted to look up regarding demon-human hybrids.

 

 

It had passed into November during those days Chanyeol was at the church. Chanyeol remembered about some store membership he had that gave discounts during his birthday month. Chanyeol stopped by the said store on his way back and bought a bottle of wine as an apology gift for Kyungsoo.

Kyungsoo had pulled up a chair and was sitting beside the sink with her head leaning on the cold metal. She had heard the door open but was too weak to go and get it. Chanyeol went to the kitchen to place the bottle down when found her in in that position.

“Are you alright?” Chanyeol walked up to the sink beside her.

Kyungsoo looked up, “Just feeling sick a little bit again. It’s nothing bad. It’s just the trinkets you put up around in the house.” Kyungsoo sat up and got up from the chair, dragging it back to the table. “Welcome back. How are you?”

“I’m glad to be home.” Chanyeol replied.

“Good. I still need to open your stitches. We’re a bit overdue on that.” Kyungsoo immediately went looking through the drawers for the items she needed.

“I got this for you.” Chanyeol lifted the bottle to pass to Kyungsoo. “I’m not sure if you drink but women like this don’t they?” Chanyeol wasn’t sure if demon women fell under the wine loving stereotype.

Kyungsoo turned from the drawer to look at Chanyeol and the wine bottle. “Oh, thanks. Yeah I do drink but it’s not a hobby.” Kyungsoo took the bottle into her hands and placed in the fridge. “It’s better chilled.”

Chanyeol smiled, as Kyungsoo boiled hot water and set down the scissors, tweezers and items she needed to undo his stitches. Kyungsoo instructed him to sit down and roll his sleeve up. Chanyeol did as he was told. After the equipments had been sterilized, Kyungsoo tied her hair up and sat on the chair beside Chanyeol to carefully open the stitches.

 

“Kyungsoo…” Chanyeol called out as she leant closely in onto his arm to pull the stitches she had cut. It only sting but didn’t hurt much anymore.

“Yeah?” Kyungsoo answered back without breaking her concentration.

“I am sorry”, Chanyeol apologized. “…for what I said to you. That was wrong and it wasn’t right for me to blame my problems on you. It’s alright if you don’t forgive me but I wanted to let you know that I really am sorry.”

This time, Kyungsoo put the scissors down on the table and looked up to Chanyeol. Kyungsoo was silent for a while before she replied. “I’m sorry too and thanks for the apology.”

“You don’t have to apologize.” Chanyeol stated. “I was the one who forced you into this.”

 

Kyungsoo did not answer this time and returned to pulling out the last stitch. Kyungsoo ordered Chanyeol to wipe down his arm as she cleaned up the space. Chanyeol did not listen and got up, following her to the sink where he circled his arms around her waist from behind, and leaned his head onto hers.

“Kyungsoo, I’m so sorry. For everything I’ve done too.” Chanyeol spoke, his cheek pressed against her hair. He really did felt bad at that moment for everything he had done.

Kyungsoo closed her eyes as she leant her front against the edge of the sink, holding herself up with her arms against Chanyeol’s weight. “It’s alright.” Kyungsoo replied to him. “It doesn’t matter anymore.”

“But Kyungsoo I-“, Chanyeol was cut off by Kyungsoo who turned around to face him and cupped a hand over his mouth to silence him.

“I told you it’s alright and I accept your apology so please don’t make me cry anymore.” Kyungsoo told him, as their eyes met each other. Kyungsoo did look like she was about to cry and Chanyeol certainly did not want to make her feel that way again.

Chanyeol was a strong man but if this was a demon’s temptation, he’d rather be weak to fall into it. Everyone told him to stay away from sin because it was vile and evil, but no one ever said anything about how wonderful it could be. Chanyeol carefully removed Kyungsoo’s hand from his mouth and planted kisses onto her open palm.

Chanyeol pressed her hand against his cheek, under his own palm. “Kyungsoo, I-“

“No. Don’t. Don’t do it, Chanyeol. You may not see me as one but I am a demon.” Kyungsoo pulled back her hand and gently pushed Chanyeol away from her as she stepped away. “You should wipe down your arm and sterilize it.” Kyungsoo urged as she continued cleaning up the kitchen.

 

Chanyeol did as he was told and sat at the table alone for a while even after he was done. Chanyeol didn’t understand how he felt for Kyungsoo. He didn’t hate her at all, and he would hate to see her suffer and hurt. Along the way, he had been keeping her in his apartment not to save his own ass but also to protect her. Chanyeol realized how selfish he had been all along and how he was hurting her, when he thought he was protecting her.

 

Dinner was quiet that night and they barely talked much. Kyungsoo hadn’t been feeling too well either and was still recovering from the nausea. Chanyeol made a joke about the monk he had to share a room with, and how he would strip naked in the middle of the night while still asleep.

Kyungsoo laughed and it certainly helped to ease the tension between the both of them, and got a conversation going. That was Chanyeol’s intention after all. He didn’t want there to be a distance between himself and Kyungsoo. It was as if their races weren’t a big enough gap to overcome.

“Well, I’m glad you don’t snore.” Kyungsoo giggled as she shifted her fork through the vegetables on her plate. She had been sharing the same room with Chanyeol for a month now and so far everything went fine.

Chanyeol laughed back, “and I certainly do not strip naked in my sleep either.”

“You’ve seen me naked.” Kyungsoo noted as she ran a finger through her hair.

“Well, you’re almost always naked out there.” Chanyeol announced.

“I don’t like getting blood on my clothes. What do you think when you see me naked?” Kyungsoo grinned, twirling the fork between her fingers.

Chanyeol knew Kyungsoo was doing this on purpose. She enjoyed teasing him for being the inexperienced one. He was a bit embarrassed and didn’t know what to say, but Chanyeol honestly admitted that he liked that part of her very much. Somehow, he enjoyed the humiliation and he wondered if his dreams had any part in that.

“I think you look very good indeed.” Chanyeol replied, trying to hide himself from smiling too much. He felt like a shy teenager about to confess to his crush for the first time.

Kyungsoo laughed with a hand over her mouth. “You’re so cute.”

 

After dinner that night, Chanyeol stayed up a bit to go through his books in the spare room. He swore he remembered he had a book written by a German author who wrote about a demon-human hybrid. Chanyeol’s German was rather rusty and he only knew the basics. He found the book and the passage regarding the topic and thought Kyungsoo could help him with it.

Chanyeol left his door open while he worked and Kyungsoo happened to walk by.

Chanyeol saw Kyungsoo at the door. “Oh good, you’re here. Can you help me with this?”

“What are you working on?” Kyungsoo asked as she saw Chanyeol reading a book and writing down some notes.

“It’s a German book in demonology where the author says he meets a demon-human hybrid. I want to know if they do really exist.” Chanyeol explained.

Kyungsoo looked to the book’s hardcover and spine. “You do know this author was known to have gone mad through the end of his life, and that this book was just his ramblings and the cohesiveness of it is rather debatable.”

“I am aware of that, but if there’s any information in there that can help because I really need it.” Chanyeol stated with one arm propped up on the table and resting his cheek on his palm.

Kyungsoo sat on the edge of the table with her legs hanging off the edge, and shut the book in her hands. “You don’t have to read it. Just ask me what you want to know.” Kyungsoo leant in close to Chanyeol’s face.

 

Chanyeol gulped, looking towards Kyungsoo. “Do they exist? Is it possible?”

“They do. A few of them have been born so far in the past two hundred years. I won’t tell you how many but all of them have demon mothers and human fathers. Even we don’t think the reverse is possible as of yet. It has never happened.” Kyungsoo clarified.

“…but why?” Chanyeol asked after a pause.

“They fell in love.” Kyungsoo explained. “It’s nothing complex, Chanyeol. It’s just love.”

“Then what of the hybrid child? Are they accepted in Hell?” Chanyeol questioned further.

Kyungsoo responded. “Yes. We don’t treat them any less. They have all the demon traits. The difference is probably just that they can go out in the sun more often. They prefer to live in Hell because it’s safer for them and they have a demon life span too.”

Chanyeol looked down, away from Kyungsoo’s gaze. “I came across one today and the mother. We killed the mother.”

“I thought so. I wondered why you’d start asking these questions.” Kyungsoo swung one leg onto the table and crossed it under the other leg. “Well that’s your job after all.”

Chanyeol half expected Kyungsoo to get mad at him for killing a demon again, but she was calm and accepting of it. Chanyeol didn’t want to ask but he thought that there could never be any other suitable moment.

“Kyungsoo, I have something else to ask you.” Chanyeol spoke up.

“What is it?” Kyungsoo inquired.

“Why is your hair black?” Chanyeol added before she could answer, “All demons have light hair don’t they? I saw the half demon boy today and like you said he is a demon too but he had dark hair like you. I’m not coming to conclusions but-“

“-but am I a half demon you mean?” Kyungsoo had gotten off from the table and stood up, arms folded over her chest.

Chanyeol could only nod.

“I’m not. I’m just a demon and nothing special too. My hair is only this way because I inherited my ancestor’s dark hair. So far, I’m the only in Hell to have dark hair but I’m sure we all carry the gene for it. It’s in our blood.” Kyungsoo smiled to Chanyeol.

 “Huh?” Chanyeol was even more confused now. It was too much information for him to process. “I don’t understand.”

“Do you remember where demons originally came from? You must have studied this before haven’t you?” Kyungsoo tried to make Chanyeol guess.

Chanyeol pondered for a moment before his face lit up when he finally remembered. Chanyeol recited, “When Lucifer became a fallen angel to turn into a demon, he brought one-third of the angels with him to Hell and then turned into demons too.” Chanyeol’s mouth hung open. “You’re-“

“All angels have dark hair. So demons who all came from angels did too. But living in Hell made demons lose their dark hair and that’s why we all have light hair today. Somehow, I got fucked up or God just decided to remind us that we’re all angels once by giving me dark hair.” Kyungsoo got off the table and stood up, arms folded over her chest. “In a half demon’s case, they might have gotten it from their human side.”

Chanyeol chuckled, “Looks like you don’t have it easy either. I never heard of God punishing demons before.”

“Maybe”, Kyungsoo shrugged.

“You’re beautiful though.” Chanyeol stated, smiling fondly at Kyungsoo. “Demon or not, I think you still are beautiful.”

Kyungsoo was silent as she tried to process Chanyeol’s words. “I hope you won’t regret saying that.”

“Not yet I haven’t.” Chanyeol reassured. “All this is new to me. I didn’t even know that demons and humans can even have children with each other.”

“They can. We can even have sex right now and you might get me pregnant.” Kyungsoo teased Chanyeol, “but the Church won’t let you do that won’t they?” Kyungsoo laughed loudly.

Chanyeol wasn’t embarrassed this time. He smiled as he realized how much he actually liked Kyungsoo and her bold personality.

 

Chanyeol had trouble falling asleep that night. He now had a thin mattress to sleep on the floor with while Kyungsoo slept in his bed. Chanyeol sat up on his mattress as he watched a sleeping Kyungsoo. Even in her sleep, she was very attractive and captivating to him. Chanyeol never felt this way for anyone and it excited him to say the least. But Chanyeol realized that what he was doing was still unfair and selfish, and he wanted to undo his wrong at best.

This time it wasn’t ideology, or religion or belief. Every coins had two sides and neither one was void of fault. Chanyeol felt like he was more in the middle these days. He couldn’t quite agree with the “I’m right, you’re wrong” approach the church had anymore when concerning demons.

That night, while Kyungsoo slept; Chanyeol removed all the rock salt, crosses and holy circles he had drawn to prevent her from leaving. Chanyeol did so out of his own pure free will and couldn’t care less anymore if he had to suffer from that, or what the church and Order had to say about it. He knew what he was doing and to him it was the right thing.

 

The next morning before Chanyeol left for work, Kyungsoo stood by the door to tell him goodbye as usual.

Chanyeol smiled at her. “I removed all the barriers so you should be able to leave now. You should do it as soon as you can once I leave. Goodbye, Kyungsoo.” Chanyeol shut the door and hastily walked away before Kyungsoo could say anything.

Chanyeol wasn’t sure if he wanted to hear what she had to say. He might change his mind if he did and urged himself to become more selfish. He didn’t want that now. Kyungsoo deserved to be free and Chanyeol believed that. Kyungsoo stood on the other side of the door still trying to take in the situation and wondering what was really going on.

 


	8. There you are

 

Before they had officially been introduced to each other, Kyungsoo always seemed to leave as fast as she appeared, just like a sudden gust of wind that was here one moment and gone the next. Chanyeol didn’t want to hope too much to avoid disappointing himself, but he thought it would be great if she would still be there when he came home. She wasn’t of course.

Kyungsoo had taken all her clothes and the wine bottle with her. Kyungsoo cooked several meals worth of food which she left in the fridge for Chanyeol to heat up later. Chanyeol started to realize how lonely it was without Kyungsoo around, and wondered how he had managed to live alone all this while. Sure it was nice to have someone cook and clean for you, but Chanyeol missed the company the most.

Chanyeol realized it when he wanted to talk about his day and realized Kyungsoo who always listened was not there anymore. Chanyeol watched TV and realized he couldn’t tell anyone what he thought about the show, nor could he just ask Kyungsoo what some word meant in a book he didn’t understand.  
Sure there was the good part, such as not having to be so cautious for hiding a demon or waiting for his turn to use the only shower at the apartment. Chanyeol may have complained relentlessly about it but it made him realize that it was just a minor inconvenience at worst, worth putting through for having Kyungsoo around.

Chanyeol slept in his bed for the first time in a while that night. It felt weird lying down on it again and it took him a while before he managed to fall asleep. Chanyeol went to sleep hugging the pillow Kyungsoo used to sleep on, pretending that he was cuddling her instead. He missed Kyungsoo but letting her go was the right thing. She had her own life and family in Hell, and she deserved every right to be with them. Being demon was not much different.

Chanyeol never dreamt of Kyungsoo since then. He didn’t need to dream of a person who was reality to him.

 

 

Kyungsoo returned to Hell back to her riverside home in the capital city. It was an official residence for the position of High Commissioner that Kyungsoo held. Kyungsoo tried to sneak in but was caught by her assistant, Baekhyun, the resident lesbian of the Hell Police Force. Baekhyun lived together with Kyungsoo and they both had offices within the residence so they could work from home.

Kyungsoo immediately reached for her spare glasses in her desk drawer. She had broken her old ones from the fall about a month ago, and had been squinting since then. Kyungsoo never felt much more relief than having a proper vision again.

“Oh my Satan. You’re actually alive.” Baekhyun exclaimed as she walked up to Kyungsoo and inspected her. “Are you hurt?”

“Only internally.” Kyungsoo responded nonchalantly as Baekhyun inspected Kyungsoo’s hair to her toes.

“Girl, what’s wrong?” Baekhyun asked, looking slightly confused. “Where did you go? Everyone was looking for you. Even Jongin-“

“Hush. Don’t speak to me of Jongin when I just got back. I don’t want to hear about it.” Kyungsoo held a hand up between herself and Baekhyun.

“Okayyyy…” Baekhyun dragged. “But he will hear that you returned and…”

“I can deal with it. I just need to see my uncle now.” Kyungsoo sighed as she rubbed her temples. She was having a headache from all the stress. “I’ll let you know the details later.”

“Sure, I’ll call Kris and let him know you’re coming.” Baekhyun walked up to her desk to arrange the call.

Demons stole technology from humans and had phone lines but no cellphones as of yet. Demons that lived in the human world did use cellphones to blend in with the humans, but it was virtually useless in Hell. Demons were still a bit behind on technology. The government of Hell owned several corporations in the human world, used to raise money to buy technology for development in Hell. One of them being Kris himself.

 

 

For once, Kris was actually in his office when he needed to be found. Kris was always in the human world and rarely even returned to Hell, despite being one of the seven generals of Hell. Hell had not been involved in a war for over 2000 years and Kris complained running an army in peacetime was boring. Therefore, Kris decided to set up a popular stuffed toys business which is now known globally. If anyone brought it up, Kris would argue that Lucifer himself was rarely seen doing his job anyway.

“You must be mad at me. Here have this.” Kris picked a stuffed pink bear from the pile of toys he had on a shelf behind his desk, and put it down in front of Kyungsoo sitting on the chair across the desk.

“What!?” Kyungsoo screamed, ignoring the toy.

“What?” Kris repeated in a softer voice.

Kyungsoo was irritated and furious, “I was gone for a whole freaking month and no one came after me?”

“Well…I did send Sehun and Alexandra to look for you. They looked everywhere.” Kris tried to explain. “But they couldn’t find you either. You managed to come back though so it should be alright.”

Kyungsoo heaved a heavy sigh, “and what were you doing?”

“I was involved in a case with the Vatican so I got caught up.” Kris clarified.

“What are you involved with the humans again for? Are you still funding them?” Kyungsoo questioned.

Kris nodded. “Yes, Lucifer still instructs me to fund the Vatican still so they won’t hunt after our high ranking soldiers. They were supposed to drop this one case but apparently, some exorcist didn’t get the memo and followed through anyway. I had to go there to fix the situation myself and I had to go into a church.” Kris shivered in his seat. “I was sick for days after that, and this priest even asked if I wanted to pray. I threw up all over my new shoes.”

Kyungsoo snickered, “That serves you right.”

“…maybe?” But oh, that priest really did seem off to me.” Kris added, leaning his arms on the desk.

“All priests are off.” Kyungsoo commented, with Chanyeol totally coming to mind, unaware that Kris was actually talking about him.

Kris shook his head. “But it’s not that. It felt like I seen him before.”

“You probably ran into the priest before since you spend so much time in the human world.” Kyungsoo reasoned.

“Yeah, that’s probably it.” Kris swore he remembered but his memory was fuzzy and decided to leave it at that. It probably wouldn’t be a big deal anyway.

 

Kyungsoo didn’t miss her job that much and she had only really wanted to return to be with her family, especially her son Sehun. Sehun was more than relieved when she returned, and Kyungsoo lied about being held up elsewhere to avoid them tracking down Chanyeol. She did not even tell anyone of Chanyeol. Kyungsoo didn’t want to trouble Chanyeol and involve him in trouble. Kyungsoo had grown fond of Chanyeol, and tried to protect him with whatever way she could even from afar.

Kyungsoo went to work and due to her position, she had access to the case files of humans deemed a threat to demons. Demons kept files on humans, similar to the one that exorcists kept on demons. Sure enough, Chanyeol had a case file and was categorized on a medium-high threat level. Kyungsoo knew what she was doing is illegal and could threaten her fellow demons, but she still decided to remove Chanyeol’s case file from the archive and throw it into the fireplace at her home. It would probably come back to bite her one day, but Kyungsoo was ready to bite back.

 

 

It rained that night in Hell, hard enough that it came with thunderstorms. Kyungsoo was startled awake and looked to the floor expecting Chanyeol to be there, only to remember that she was alone and no longer in the human world. Knowing that Chanyeol was there in the room helped Kyungsoo fall back asleep, but this time they were in literally different worlds.

The fireplace was still burning so the room wasn’t that entirely dark. Kyungsoo was wearing the clothes Chanyeol had bought for her. Kyungsoo lied back down on her four poster bed, placing an arm over her eyes as she tried to convince herself to go back to sleep. Kyungsoo thought she might have been able to go back to sleep when she felt the weight shift on her bed, signifying she wasn’t alone on that bed. She didn’t need to look because she knew who it would be.

“Good evening, Jongin.” Kyungsoo greeted, without even removing her arm over her eyes.

“You still can’t sleep when there’s thunder can you?” Jongin was fully dressed in his official white military uniform, sitting on the edge of the bed near Kyungsoo.

Kyungsoo sat up, using her hands to prop herself up on the bed. “That’s obvious isn’t it?”

Jongin smiled back. As the Crown Prince of Hell, he was omnipotent and could simply appear in anyone’s room or place as he wished. That being the reason Kyungsoo had to run to the human world to escape him, as his powers did not reach there. Kyungsoo somehow saw being held by Chanyeol much better than being in Hell because of Jongin.

“Do you want me to accompany you?” Jongin ran his hand up Kyungsoo’s bare thigh, snaking up higher with every stroke. “You smell different though now. It’s almost as if-“

Kyungsoo interrupted by slapped his hand away. “No. I don’t want to be with you.”

“What’s gotten into you since you were gone?” Jongin retracted the arm that Kyungsoo had striked upon. “You used to want me.”

“Jongin, please leave. We’re divorced now and I haven’t wanted you since then. I thought I made it clear and you can see I’m trying to sleep here.”

“You’re lying. You won’t even be able to sleep tonight. I will make it that you won’t be able to sleep.” Jongin threatened.

 

There it was, Jongin’s possessive and unstable side emerging again. Before Jongin could even lay his hands on Kyungsoo, she had punched him in the gut and pushed him off the bed without even having to get up herself. This was no strange scene to the both of them. Jongin was a very physical person and Kyungsoo just happened to be his match. Jongin had previous girlfriends whom he had all beaten up to death. Kyungsoo didn’t even understand how she had even fallen in love with him in the first place, despite his past history. She probably just liked the attention.

Jongin got up clenching his stomach, obviously very angry. Kyungsoo didn’t faze even once or was intimidated by him. Kyungsoo herself had risen to a high rank as a demon by her own accord, and she had no reasons to be scared of Jongin.

“You’ll come back to me one day, I know. I still love you.” Jongin stated, before disappearing.

“I don’t love you.” Kyungsoo murmured to herself once she was alone again.

 

Baekhyun slowly opened the door to Kyungsoo’s room and peeked around before walking towards her on the bed. “Are you alright? Did Jongin hurt you again?”

“I’m fine. It’s alright.” Kyungsoo reassured Baekhyun. “He won’t do anything while Sehun is here.”

“Girl, I was scared for a moment there.” Baekhyun commented.

“It’ll be alright.” Kyungsoo hugged her knees to her chest under her sheets.

The rain did not stop until the next morning and Baekhyun offered to keep Kyungsoo company until then. Kyungsoo told Baekhyun of Chanyeol and what she had been through the past month. Baekhyun was a good listener and didn’t judge, and could certainly be trusted to keep the secret.

 

 

All of Hell knew about Jongin’s temper but nobody could say anything about the Crown Prince. Lucifer himself was worried Jongin would never have a child from killing his partners, and had immediately married Kyungsoo off to him when they discovered her pregnancy. The marriage was fine the first few years especially after Sehun was born. Jongin would never lay hands on Sehun as he was his own flesh and blood, but later came to deem Kyungsoo an “outsider” in the family.

But Jongin could not hurt Kyungsoo like he had done to his former lovers. Kyungsoo fought back and she wasn’t easy to beat too. They had ruined over four houses from their fights, but always made sure Sehun was away when they had to. The houses were ruined so bad that the entire foundation had to be torn down before it could be rebuilt.

Kyungsoo couldn’t deny that Jongin was a good father, despite being a terrible husband. He was always there for Sehun and never tried to fight Kyungsoo in front of him. Sehun was not stupid and eventually chose his mother during the divorce, although he still visited Jongin to be fair. Jongin did treat him well after all. There was the good, but there was the bad too.

Kyungsoo was very afraid Chanyeol would be the same, and had expected to be hit when he had lashed at her. Chanyeol didn’t hurt her and even apologized. Jongin would never apologize even if he was at fault. Kyungsoo did not expect that from Chanyeol, especially considering he was human. Chanyeol made her feel protected. Realizing it again, Kyungsoo realized how much she appreciated Chanyeol and how she wished he was there.

 

 

Kyungsoo had barely been gone for two weeks when Chanyeol walked into work late one morning to find the office in chaos. All the exorcists were busy rushing in and about. Files and papers were scattered all over the desks and floors. Those on the phone were shouting over it and Jongdae’s glasses had fallen off his face as he frantically looked through the drawers for something.

“What happened?” Chanyeol tried asking Jongdae who was sweating and looked very scared.

“There was a break in at the Underprison at the Vatican. All the demons were released by ‘Black’”. Jongdae quickly spoke in almost jumbled sentences. “No one on our side were harmed but we have to look for her immediately because she has been reported to be seen in Seoul previously.”

Chanyeol couldn’t help himself but burst out laughing when he heard of what had transpired. He very well knew it was Kyungsoo and it was very much like her to do so. Everyone was confused why Chanyeol was laughing in a tense situation, and he later lied about being so stressed that he began to laugh. Somehow, they bought the lie. Chanyeol wasn’t even surprised when the case was closed by the Vatican, and “Black” continued to be deemed a non-threat to humans and that it was not worth pursuing her.

 

 

Now back in business, Kyungsoo decided to tie up loose ends. Kyungsoo had managed to track down Adramalech all the way in Hungary. She had located him in a train station late at night when it was empty, and the last train had long left. It was late November and far too cold for Kyungsoo to be naked. She was actually dressed in a black collared medium length dress under her crimson cape. It was still not enough for the weather but Kyungsoo wasn’t one to wear many clothes to begin with.

“I should thank you for that day.” Kyungsoo spoke up, standing across Adramalech and his infamous stench.

“I thought you were done for that day, Great Bitch.” Adramalech retorted, obviously trying to irritate her. “It looks like you made it actually. Did you kill the exorcist from that day?”

Kyungsoo clicked her tongue. She realized she hadn’t been doing that in a while and also haven’t heard her infamous nickname since. Kyungsoo sure didn’t miss it nor did she care anymore. Kyungsoo had been busy lately and had been travelling back and forth to complete her tasks and duties before she could go on leave. One of the hardest which was to break all the demons out of the Underprison had already been carried out. Kyungsoo had applied for a long leave and she already knew what she was going to do with it.

“I did not but I should thank you for that. I got to meet a good person so thank you for that.” Kyungsoo cracked her knuckles and with her swift skills, Adramalech was pinned to the ground by the throat and soon became just another casualty.

“One down, just a few more to go.” Kyungsoo noted as she wiped blood off her hair with the back of her hand.

Kyungsoo was worried that she might be getting rusty and soft, but there didn’t seem to be a problem at all. Kyungsoo soon enough felt like herself again. If not for Chanyeol, Kyungsoo would have gotten Adramalech that day atop the building. Things may have not gone her way initially, but with a change of perspective it really wasn’t that bad and she had gained something out of it too.

 

 

Chanyeol never hung up the crosses again or proof his house to prevent demons from entering. Chanyeol still went to work but pretended not to notice demons if he came across them. Chanyeol filed all the demons who had never hunted humans into the inactive section, despite not receiving the orders to do so. Chanyeol had his doubts but personally wasn’t ready to leave the church and the Order yet. He was fine with pretending to play along for now.

For the first time in a while, Chanyeol felt peaceful and at ease.

On Chanyeol’s 27th birthday, it rained. Chanyeol’s family had held him an early birthday party the previous day as he wanted to spend the day itself alone. Jongdae did not forget and had gotten him a nice watch. It had not snowed that year yet, and the rain was biting cold as it fell.

Everyone had scattered and ran for shelter when it began raining. Chanyeol was riding his bicycle in a back alley when it began raining. Chanyeol always hated the rain because demons roamed free when it did. But this time, Chanyeol couldn’t feel that he hated it. Under the shade of the rain was what brought Kyungsoo to him.

Chanyeol parked his bicycle by a wall under an awning, as he stood in the freezing rain with his eyes closed to feel the rain on his face. Chanyeol realized how much he changed and he was fine with it. Chanyeol opened his eyes to look up at the building above him. It was a bit hard to see from the rain falling into his eyes at first but when Chanyeol managed to, he couldn’t help but smile at the figure of a crimson cape and long flowing black hair.

Kyungsoo was smiling back.

 

 


	9. I take that as a yes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (◐∇◐*)

 

“Feel like coming down from there?” Chanyeol shouted through the rain so Kyungsoo could hear him from the rooftop.

Kyungsoo leant over the edge and shouted back, “Maybe.”

“Then come on”, Chanyeol had to yell again so his voice could reach her.

Kyungsoo gave thumbs up and was going to leap off the edge to the ground four floors down, when she tripped over her cape and stumbled over the edge. “Shit”, Kyungsoo exclaimed when she lost her balance.

Lucky for Kyungsoo, Chanyeol managed to catch her fall. It wasn’t as if Kyungsoo would have been injured otherwise. Kyungsoo wasn’t exactly lightweight, and Chanyeol did catch her in his arms but fell to his knees on the gravel path when he did from the sudden shift in weight.

Kneeling in the rain with scraped knees and Kyungsoo in his lap, the both of them laughed to their hearts content without a care. Kyungsoo slowly got off Chanyeol and helped him up. His knees stung but he couldn’t care about it now.

“Are you alright?” Kyungsoo asked out of concern. “I’m sorry about that.”

Standing face to face with each other in the cold November rain, Chanyeol slowly pulled off the hood from Kyungsoo’s cape to reveal her face. She was even more beautiful up close than he remembered her to be, especially now that she was smiling at him. Gently, Chanyeol tilted her chin up with his finger and leant in to kiss her on the lips, holding her face between his hands.

Kyungsoo did not expect it first but closed her eyes, leaning into the kiss and reciprocating it back as she held onto his arms. Time seemed to have stopped for the both of them, not even the rain could bother them. Cold rain fell onto them, dripping from the strands of their hairs and running down their backs. Only the roaring sound of the rain was all they heard against their pounding hearts.

To be honest, Chanyeol did not even know what he was doing. He was a priest, a man of god, an exorcist who eradicated demons and yet here he was giving his first kiss to a demon. He was thought that it was sinful but nobody said sin could feel so good.

“I missed you.” Chanyeol admitted once they had broken away from the kiss, with Kyungsoo’s face still in his hands. Their lips were still close and barely touching the other.

“I missed you too.” Kyungsoo sighed against Chanyeol.

 

 

The rain stopped shortly after and the pair walked back to Chanyeol’s apartment in the cold with their wet clothes. Chanyeol wheeled his bicycle alongside himself. The walk home was uncomfortably cold from the weather but warm with their conversation and each other’s company. They both honestly missed this very much.

Both of them were shivering once they reached Chanyeol’s apartment, as they rushed to get into the heated space. Kyungsoo borrowed Chanyeol’s clothes as she had none left in his apartment anymore, while hers was drying in the dryer together with Chanyeol’s.

Chanyeol was changing in his room with the door open when Kyungsoo leant by the door frame. “Your knee looks bad. Can I take a look at it?” Kyungsoo noted out.

Chanyeol was only wearing a pair of boxers that hung up above his knee, leaving his scraped and injured knee in full view. “Sure”, Chanyeol agreed.

Chanyeol sat on the edge of his bed as Kyungsoo sat on the floor inspecting his wounded knees. “Do you still have your first aid kit?” Kyungsoo asked.

“Yes, it’s in the usual drawer.” Chanyeol pointed out, knowing that Kyungsoo knew where everything was in Chanyeol’s apartment. If Chanyeol could say so, it felt like Kyungsoo knew how to get to his heart too.

Kyungsoo cleaned off the wound and bandaged it up. It stung but Chanyeol did not flinch even once. It was an accident and it was totally worth it. Chanyeol did not mind at all. Kyungsoo on the other hand just wanted to make sure Chanyeol was taken care of.

“It should be good now.” Kyungsoo smiled as she tied the bandage off, cutting off the extra bit on the end.

“Thanks”, Chanyeol murmured, sitting on the edge of the bed. He had put on a t-shirt now.

Kyungsoo was sitting cross legged on the floor, tidying up the first aid kit and the used swabs. “Do you want some coffee to warm you up?” Kyungsoo announced as she got up to put everything back in place.

“Sure, I’ll have one.” Chanyeol decided.

 

Kyungsoo was tidying up Chanyeol’s kitchen while the hot water was boiling in the boiler. Kyungsoo had been doing this for him before and Chanyeol felt as if she never left in the first place. Chanyeol got up and walked slowly, ignoring the slight pain in his knees. He liked having her around, he yearned for Kyungsoo’s presence, and he certainly liked the way she looked walking around in his t-shirt that was oversized for her.

Chanyeol sat down at the couch to turn on the TV. Kyungsoo placed two cups of hot coffee on the coffee table and sat beside Chanyeol, joining him on the couch. Kyungsoo leant her head on Kyungsoo’s shoulder, and in return leant his head to the side on hers too. The news was on TV but neither of them was paying attention to it.

Kyungsoo lifted her head to look towards to Chanyeol. “Happy Birthday”.

Chanyeol turned his head to look at her too and smiled. “Thank you.”

Running a hand through Kyungsoo’s hair, Chanyeol gently planted a kiss on her head. She was very much real and in his arms now. Chanyeol couldn’t ask for a better way to spend his birthday. Kyungsoo never left his thoughts over the past month they were separated.

“I’m sorry I didn’t get you anything. I wasn’t sure what you wanted but if there’s something you’d like, you can tell me.”

“I have you and that’s good enough.” Chanyeol hugged Kyungsoo as he smiled, resting his head on hers. “You being here is my birthday gift.”

 

Kyungsoo was moved by Chanyeol’s words. Kyungsoo never felt as if her presence was appreciated throughout her entire marriage to Jongin, but here a human who was supposed to hunt her made her feel wanted and needed. Kyungsoo never realized how much she needed till she had it now. Kyungsoo was afraid of being vulnerable and exposed should she make the move to reciprocate Chanyeol’s feelings. Kyungsoo didn’t want to be hurt anymore but she gave in, knowing that it still wouldn’t get her anywhere by playing it safe. 

Kyungsoo pulled Chanyeol towards her by the collar of his shirt and kissed him hard. Kyungsoo hoisted herself onto Chanyeol’s lap and continued to kiss him, straddling his thighs and making sure she didn’t hurt his injured knee. Chanyeol placed both his hands on either side of Kyungsoo’s hips as she tugged on his thick hair, pulling his head backwards so she could gain more access to his mouth.

Chanyeol wasn’t sure what to do, but he didn’t hate it at all. When Kyungsoo slipped her tongue in, Chanyeol by instinct gave in to the urge to slide his tongue over hers. Kyungsoo moaned above him, as he moved his hands lower to grab onto her bottom. Kyungsoo sure did have a nice butt. Kyungsoo had one hand on Chanyeol’s shoulder and the other was under his shirt, running up his chest.

Kyungsoo broke away from the kiss panting, removing her hands from him. “No, what am I even doing?”  
Kyungsoo got off from straddling Chanyeol and sat down beside him with her head in her hands. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done that.”

Chanyeol was confused. “What’s wrong?” Chanyeol asked out of concern.

“It’s wrong. I can’t do that to you.” Kyungsoo shook her head, looking up to meet Chanyeol’s eyes. “You’re not allowed to have physical relations because of your religion. I’m so sorry for-“

Chanyeol hushed Kyungsoo by kissing her on the lips. “I want it though. Not unless you don’t want it.” Chanyeol spoke against her lips, once he had broke away from the kiss.

“I do want to but I don’t want to get you in trouble“

“Not if anyone finds out, I won’t be.”

 

With that being said, Chanyeol picked Kyungsoo up from the couch and gently laid her down on the bed. Chanyeol kissed Kyungsoo, using his arms to support his weight above hers.

“Are you alright with this?” Kyungsoo ran a hand down Chanyeol’s cheek above her. “I can take the lead if you want to.”

Chanyeol took Kyungsoo’s hand touching his cheek into his own. “That’s more reason for me to try then.” Chanyeol chuckled.

Kyungsoo lightly chuckled too in unison. “I’m in your hands then.”

Chanyeol and Kyungsoo both weren’t wearing many clothes to begin with, and the task of undressing was done with ease. Kyungsoo’s bra and underwear, which Chanyeol had bought for her too, were still in the dryer. Chanyeol helped Kyungsoo take off the shirt and shorts she was wearing, which also belonged to him. Only the bandages around Chanyeol’s knee was left on as they were now fully naked in each other’s presence.

Chanyeol had seen a naked Kyungsoo more than a few times and was no longer fazed by it, but now he suddenly did feel shy and modest in the moment. He almost felt like pulling the blanket over Kyungsoo’s naked form. It was the first time for Kyungsoo to see Chanyeol naked, and she was more than happy to accept him as it is.

Kyungsoo sensed Chanyeol’s nervousness and stroked his face reassuringly, “It’s okay. You don’t have to force yourself.”

Chanyeol heeded Kyungsoo’s words as his cue. Gently, Chanyeol moved a hand down to cup her breast. He had dreamt of this and it was now happening in front of him. Chanyeol was afraid of thinking about it too much; for fear that it was just another dream. Kyungsoo’s breast was softer and felt fuller in his hands than it did in the dream. The real thing sure was better

Chanyeol gently nipped his front teeth across her right nipple before sucking on it lightly. Kyungsoo let out a pleasured sigh as she gently ran her fingers across his back. Chanyeol looked up to see that Kyungsoo enjoyed it; her facial expressions were displaying how she felt. Chanyeol did the same to her left breast and heard his name roll off her tongue in a sultry moan.

Chanyeol released Kyungsoo’s breast from his mouth as he move up to kiss her, pulling her into a hug from above. Chanyeol only broke from the kiss momentarily to give them air to breathe, before swooping in down in the kiss again. Chanyeol tried using his tongue, mimicking Kyungsoo from earlier and was more than eager to let him take the lead.

Kyungsoo slowly guided Chanyeol’s hand to her entrance, pressing his fingers against the moist lips. Chanyeol looked to Kyungsoo and she nodded. Chanyeol took it as a sign of her approval and slipped his middle finger in as guided by Kyungsoo.

“You can put another in.” Kyungsoo urged, helping his index finger into her. “Go deeper.”

Kyungsoo let go of Chanyeol’s hand, leaving him to do the job as he wanted to. Kyungsoo only told him where to rub inside her and how she liked it. Chanyeol was grateful to have an experienced partner who knew what she wanted, for his first time.

Kyungsoo tried to still her hips when they began to instinctively buck against Chanyeol’s hand, using her stretched foot to keep still. Kyungsoo’s back was arching off the sheets as she grabbed the sheets in her fists, moaning Chanyeol’s name and letting him know how good he was.

Kyungsoo knew she was nowhere close and didn’t want to spend too long at it. Kyungsoo told Chanyeol to stop and he did, removing his fingers from within her now soaked in her natural lubrication. Kyungsoo lifted herself up to a sitting position to kiss Chanyeol once more.

Although she didn’t feel like topping, Kyungsoo thought she might have to if she wanted to finish. She believed that Chanyeol would know what to do next time once Kyungsoo showed him how. Kyungsoo spat on her hand and carefully ran a thumb over the length of Chanyeol’s member, before stroking him with her dominant left hand. It didn’t take long before an orgasm deprived man like Chanyeol was erect and hard. Chanyeol nuzzled his face near the collar of Kyungsoo’s neck as he breathed heavily while she stroked him.

 

Chanyeol felt guilty but good at the same time, which was so contradicting. This was still new to him and not until recently, he would deem this as very wrong and immoral. But now, he couldn’t care less and he felt himself straying from God’s path further by the moment. Chanyeol did know one thing, and it was that he didn’t want to stop.

Kyungsoo on the other hand, who should have known better, was fully aware how reckless she was being to be having sex without protection. The last time it happened, she ended up with an abusive husband and a son, although Sehun became the pride and joy in her life. Jongin not so much.

Kyungsoo climbed onto Chanyeol’s lap, her knees on either side of his thighs. “Can I?” Kyungsoo asked.

Chanyeol nodded as he kissed her collarbone. Kyungsoo carefully guided Chanyeol’s length to her entrance before pushing her weight down slowly on it. Chanyeol grunted and was breathing heavily against Kyungsoo’s chest. It felt very warm and almost suffocating. This was much better than the dreams.

Kyungsoo whispered against Chanyeol’s ear, “Remember to breathe.”

Before Chanyeol could react, Kyungsoo moved her hips up as she skillfully rode his dick. Chanyeol was very grateful indeed; Kyungsoo knew what she was doing and was good at it too. Kyungsoo wasn’t shy about her moans and was very vocal in bed indeed. Chanyeol managed to even his breathing, pressing his forehead against hers as he closed his eyes and growled from the pleasure of her riding him. Kyungsoo kept her eyes open throughout.

Chanyeol slowly opened his eyes and grabbed Kyungsoo by the hips. “May I?”

Kyungsoo nodded as she let another pleasured sigh. Chanyeol gently lifted Kyungsoo from his lap and laid her down on her back. Chanyeol’s dick had slipped out and he carefully positioned again between her folds before pushing in quite impatiently. Chanyeol lifted Kyungsoo’s knees, hooking his arms below it to hold her legs up as he tried to find a rhythm with his thrusts.

Kyungsoo was hoping he wouldn’t lift her legs up because she now had no footing to push against him, and hopefully help keep his rhythm stable. Kyungsoo really was in Chanyeol’s hands now as he took the lead. Chanyeol did notice that he was probably being too fast and rough, before slowing it down to a pace that Kyungsoo enjoyed better. Chanyeol was also trying not to dig his injured knees too deep into the mattress while he made love to Kyungsoo.

Somehow, it did work and Kyungsoo actually started to feel the built up within her. Kyungsoo was almost screaming, pulling on the bed sheets around her head as her lower half began to quiver and her legs felt numb from Chanyeol’s pounding. Kyungsoo didn’t get to completion because Chanyeol reached his orgasm first, finishing inside her.

Kyungsoo had expected he’d do that and that she wouldn’t get to finish. Chanyeol moaned, throwing his head back and suddenly realized what he had done. Chanyeol’s eye shot open as he quickly released Kyungsoo’s legs and pulled out.

“Oh my god. I am so sorry.” Chanyeol frantically apologized as he saw his cum trickle down onto the bed from inside Kyungsoo.

Kyungsoo sat up, letting the blood flow back to her legs. “It’s alright. I knew you’d do that. It’s normal to not be able to control it the first few times.”

Chanyeol hugged Kyungsoo tight. “I am so sorry. I’ll take responsibility I promise.”

“I told you it’s alright.” Kyungsoo patted Chanyeol on the back before breaking away from the hug. “Excuse me a little bit if you don’t mind. I haven’t got to cum yet so-“

Kyungsoo lied down on her side as she sucked in her mouth three fingers on her left hand. Kyungsoo fingered herself with those fingers, using her thumb from the same hand to rub her clit at the same time from in between her thighs. Chanyeol saw this and wasn’t sure what to do this time. Chanyeol held Kyungsoo other’s hand as he ran his other hand up and down her back as if to give her encouragement.

Kyungsoo maintained eye contact with Chanyeol until her orgasm sent her body shaking and breathless. Kyungsoo moaned Chanyeol’s name as the waves of pleasure hit her, even if she had finished off by her own accord. Chanyeol had done half the job anyway.

 

They both were very tired and after a quick warm shower together, they dried off and slept naked on the bed together under a blanket on the spare sheets. Chanyeol had stripped off the bed from the stained sheets and threw it into the washer to clean tomorrow. Chanyeol was really lazy when it came to laundry.

 

Chanyeol had the day off the next day as he did every year after his birthday. It was the only time the hardworking Chanyeol ever took leave from work and he only did so to treat himself to a day of rest. As a result, he had piled up several years worth of annual leave and could even take a three months fully paid vacation if he wished to.

Chanyeol woke up early before Kyungsoo and had planned to make breakfast for the both of them. The cup of coffee from yesterday was still on the coffee table, forgotten by their love making. It was only then Chanyeol realized he had nothing he could make for Kyungsoo. Chanyeol loved eating meat and with Kyungsoo away, he hadn’t been stocking up on vegetables and fruits anymore.

Chanyeol waited till Kyungsoo was awake to ask if she wanted to eat outside. Kyungsoo agreed but asked Chanyeol if he was sure about going out in public with a demon. Chanyeol couldn’t care less but gave her one his caps and flu mask to wear, just to be safe. Chanyeol cautiously walked in public with Kyungsoo, holding onto her hand and not letting it go until they arrived at the restaurant.

Chanyeol never felt more protective of Kyungsoo until after last night. Chanyeol already knew and admitted how much he wanted Kyungsoo, but he was unsure of how she felt for him and didn’t want to pressure Kyungsoo if his feelings were one-sided. Chanyeol accepted the previous night as Kyungsoo’s declaration of her feelings towards him. She did want Chanyeol as much as he wanted her.

 

Nothing unexpected happened until the walk back home. Chanyeol chose a quieter route to get back home, so he wouldn’t have to put Kyungsoo through crowds of people where she might have been recognized as a demon.

Walking in a quiet tunnel, Chanyeol was still holding Kyungsoo’s hand when the tall figure of a light haired man in a black coat appeared in front of them. Kyungsoo gasped from behind the black flue mask and Chanyeol stopped in his tracks to attend to her.

“Kyungsoo? Are you alright?” Chanyeol turned to Kyungsoo worryingly.

Kyungsoo pulled down the flu mask to her chin as her eyes kept looking at the man in front of her. Chanyeol had never seen Kyungsoo this scared or frightened, not since he had lashed out at her. It was very uncomfortable to see it again especially from someone like Kyungsoo who was known for being strong.

“Good day, my Crown Princess.” The man addressed with his hands in his coat pockets, standing a few feet in front of them.

Chanyeol turned to look at the unknown man, but reverted his attention back to Kyungsoo when he felt her trembling against his hand. Kyungsoo’s hand felt very cold now.

“Jongin. What are you doing here?” Kyungsoo managed to speak, her voice sounding strangled.

“Oh, I get it now. This boy is the reason you’ve been gone for so long isn’t it?” Jongin grinned sinisterly. “Did you let him fuck you yet?”

In any situation, she could face Jongin and shake him off with ease. Kyungsoo was confident but not now she couldn’t. Not now that Chanyeol was with her, and that Jongin knew about him too. Jongin was a jealous and dangerous man. He had made it literally impossible for Kyungsoo to date anyone in Hell, because everyone was scared of being Jongin’s next victim. Kyungsoo was afraid for Chanyeol, not herself. She couldn’t lose him.

Chanyeol did not understand what was going on.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no idea what I'm doing


	10. As it goes along

 

Kyungsoo stood defensively in front of Chanyeol to protect him, a hand holding him back. Chanyeol was unaware of how dangerous Jongin could get, and Kyungsoo wished he would never have to find out either.

“What do you want, Jongin?” Kyungsoo hissed.

Chanyeol whispered, “Kyungsoo. Is everything okay?” Kyungsoo was on edge and although he didn’t understand why, Chanyeol knew it was safer to play along since she seemed to know what was going on at least.

“It’s alright. I got this.” Kyungsoo reassured, without letting her eyes off from Jongin even once.

“Relax.” Jongin dryly chuckled, removing his hands from his coat pocket. “I’m here to deliver news. Why do you have to be so defensive? It’s not like that boy can understand us.” Jongin referred to Chanyeol who he assumed to not understand the language demons spoke in.

“Because I know who you are and I don’t trust you.” Kyungsoo stated.

“Well that hurt a bit but I guess you’re right.” Jongin shook his head as reached into his coat pocket to retrieve a white envelope sealed in red wax. Jongin handed it out to Kyungsoo who hesitated to take it from him. “General Lu Han has defected and you have been nominated to replace his place as a General. We need you to attend an audience with the rest to officially elect you.”

“Are you fucking serious? That’s the second general who defected in a year.” Kyungsoo exclaimed, slightly surprised. “Also why me? I thought we already agreed I didn’t need to be a General.”

“Well, that is true but we don’t have anyone else more suitable for the job. I’m sorry, Kyungsoo. Hell needs you. I did not decide all this.” Jongin would never apologize to anyone, not unless it involved Sehun or his job. Kyungsoo knew how grave things were when he actually did so.

Kyungsoo snatched the enveloped from Jongin’s hands. “It doesn’t mean I agree to all this.” Kyungsoo snapped before pulling Chanyeol by his hand and leading them away.

Jongin did not pursue the pair as he watched them leave, until their figures disappeared from sight. Jongin sighed as he thought of how to break the news to Sehun of his mother. Sehun watched out for his parents as if he were the parent instead.

 

 

Chanyeol didn’t talk as he let Kyungsoo lead them back to his apartment. The whole walk back was quiet and Kyungsoo walked at a speedy face, holding Chanyeol’s hand throughout. Chanyeol’s feet were getting tired keeping up to her pace.  He was confused himself and had lots of questions. As they were passing by Mrs. Choi’s unit, she swung open the door ready to leave to do her shopping.

“Oh, there you are.” Mrs. Choi announced. “How are you doing?”

“Good morning, Mrs. Choi” Chanyeol bowed and greeted. “I am doing good.”

Kyungsoo did the same and forced a smile, not wanting people to know how tense she actually was.

“This must be your cousin isn’t it? You two seem close.” Mrs. Choi noted how they were still holding hands.

Chanyeol answered with an awkward smile, “Yes, we are. We hope you have a good day.” Chanyeol cut the conversation short and quickly unlocked his apartment, pulling Kyungsoo inside by the hand with him.

 

Chanyeol heaved a sigh of relief once they were alone in his apartment. “Who was that man just now? He’s a demon too isn’t he?” Chanyeol asked as Kyungsoo took her boots off by the door.

Kyungsoo took off Chanyeol’s cap that she was wearing. “That’s my ex-husband. He just came here to tell me about something going on in Hell.”

Chanyeol placed a hand on Kyungsoo’s shoulder. “Is everything alright?”

Kyungsoo nodded. “I’m fine. It’s just something work related.”

Chanyeol removed the hand on Kyungsoo’s shoulder and sat on the floor to take off his shoes next. Chanyeol looked up, “Let me know if there’s anything I can help with.”

“I will”, Kyungsoo muttered. She wasn’t sure if Chanyeol could help though. Kyungsoo thought Chanyeol probably didn’t understand what she and Jongin were talking about anyway.

 

 

Kyungsoo later offered to do the laundry, especially to clean the bed sheets from last night. Chanyeol insisted he’d do it instead. As Chanyeol poured the detergent in and set the controls, Kyungsoo sat on the couch leaning her head back on the soft cushion as she closed her eyes. She looked stressed and worried. Chanyeol only wanted to do the best he could for her, even if he knew he couldn’t much.

Chanyeol sat on the couch with Kyungsoo and hugged her tightly. Kyungsoo let out a whine and buried her head in Chanyeol’s chest. It was a very cold day and the first snow of the year fell that day, but it was very warm in each other’s presence.

“It’s alright. I’m here for you.” Chanyeol assured, holding onto Kyungsoo.

“Thank you,” Kyungsoo murmured, her voice muffled by how close their bodies were. “I’m sorry I have to leave you again soon.”

Chanyeol reasoned, “I understand…but I just got you back. I’d hate to see you leave again.”

Kyungsoo lifted her head up to look at Chanyeol. “I’m sorry. I do want to stay here with you but there’s an emergency in Hell and they need me. I promise I’ll come back as soon as I can.”

Chanyeol ran a hand through Kyungsoo’s hair. “I know.” Chanyeol paused and gulped. “There’s something I want to tell you too.”

Kyungsoo got up off Chanyeol’s chest, now sitting upright. “What is it?”

“I…I understand what you talked about with your ex-husband. I mean I can understand demon language.” Chanyeol explained.

Kyungsoo could only manage out. “Oh?” Kyungsoo had never heard of a human who could speak or understand the demon language. Until now, it was thought to be exclusive to demons alone.

“I can explain that later but your ex-husband, he called you a princess and what about becoming a General of Hell? I thought you were just a government worker. What about that, Kyungsoo? That’s not your real name too obviously isn’t it?”

Kyungsoo laughed dryly as she could sense the distrust in his voice. “You still doubt me because I’m a demon, am I right?”

“No, it’s not that.” Chanyeol shook his head and denied. “I still hardly know anything about you and-.”

“-because I’m a demon of course”, Kyungsoo finished his sentence and stood up. Kyungsoo was beginning to regret ever getting close to Chanyeol if all he could do was doubt her.

“No, Kyungsoo. I said it’s not that. I just want to get to know you better. I don’t want to hide secrets from you.” Chanyeol leaned forward from the couch to grab Kyungsoo’s hand into his. “I am sorry if I sound like I’m pressuring you. Sometimes, I even forget that you’re actually a demon. You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”

Kyungsoo was slightly shaking, as Chanyeol held her hand. Kyungsoo felt vulnerable and scared at the situation. Kyungsoo knew history didn’t have to repeat itself and that it could be different this time, but she hadn’t exactly had good relationships to base off. Kyungsoo wasn’t even sure if what she had with Chanyeol was even considered a relationship.

Kyungsoo took a deep breath and sat back down on the couch. “I come from a high ranking family. Everyone in my family has become a General of Hell, and my mother and uncle are already in that position. Obviously, the next in line is me when the position frees up again, but I was married still at the time to the Crown Prince and somehow escaped from the selection. I don’t want to be a General and my ex-husband you met just now is a prince next in line to the throne. Since you understood what was said, you should know that another of our General just defected. We’re actually in the middle of a crisis.”

Chanyeol took a few moments to understand what Kyungsoo told him. “So, that’s what you actually meant when you said you worked for the government?”

Kyungsoo nodded, “Yeah”

This time it was Chanyeol’s turn to laugh dryly. “So, all this time I’ve been with a high ranking demon that the Order would very much like to catch?” Chanyeol smiled. “I feel special somewhat that you haven’t killed me.”

Kyungsoo stated, “I told you I don’t have any reasons to kill you. Also, I have to tell you something about the Order you work for.”

“What is it?”

“It’s not as ‘clean’ as you think it is. The Holy Cross Order accepts funding from demons in return that they do not hunt a select number of us, mostly the high ranking officials. I’m not trying to lead you astray from the Order but since we’re not hiding any secrets, I thought I’d let you know since my family does the funding too.”

Chanyeol revealed, “Yeah, I figured that one out by myself. A few cases just suddenly get closed and we’re not allowed to talk of it. All the evidence is also removed and we are made to turn a blind eye on some demons. I put two and two together and I realized that the Order just wants to protect demon interests. I didn’t know it was your family though.”

 

Kyungsoo opened her mouth to speak again when she was interrupted by the beeping sound from the washing machine sounded; informing that the washing cycle was complete.

“I’ll go get it.” Kyungsoo offered, heading to it.

Chanyeol sat on the couch pondering in thought at what Kyungsoo told him. He had begun questioning the Order and had his doubts lately, but it was Kyungsoo who had awakened those feelings and also settled it down for him. Chanyeol signed up to become an exorcist to rid the world of demons who preyed on humans, but Chanyeol realized that the two could actually co-exist and demons weren’t as bad as expected. Chanyeol stayed for the Order, but they were actually pretty hypocritical themselves despite showing themselves as preaching for the good.

Chanyeol was just now figuratively checking things off a list, before the last straw and he decided to leave the Order. Chanyeol just wasn’t sure where he’d go after that. He had dedicated his entire life to his religion and he had no place to go after. Chanyeol knew once he had a solid reason to leave, he would drop it in the blink of an eye.           

 

 

Kyungsoo left for Hell that afternoon, leaving Chanyeol alone once again. Chanyeol was expecting Kyungsoo to ask him how he understood the demon language, but she didn’t and if Chanyeol could guessed, it was as if she didn’t want to know for some reasons too. Chanyeol tried to mentally rehearse how he would go around explaining it to her.

Kyungsoo fixed her cape and Chanyeol kissed her goodbye. “I’ll come back for you I promise.”

“I’ll wait for you.” Chanyeol stated as he watched Kyungsoo leave from his front door for the first time.

It was always the other way around when Kyungsoo watched Chanyeol leave for work instead. But for Chanyeol, it was always the swish of her black hair and the crimson cape that he saw before she disappeared from view. The sun was shining towards the door when she left, and her black hair almost shone like red in the sun.

 

 

Lucifer was barely ever present and Jongin did most if not all of his father’s job. When it came to work, Kyungsoo couldn’t deny he was best and efficient at it. Jongin himself had served in the military, which was where he had actually met Kyungsoo. Unfortunately, it didn’t reflect on his interpersonal skills.

All six remaining generals and Jongin were seated at a large round marble tall in the great hall of the royal palace. Everyone was dressed in the official white military uniform of Hell. Kyungsoo was seated between her uncle, Kris, and her mother, Suho. Sehun and Baekhyun were not invited to the meeting but watched from the mezzanine floor balcony above.

Jongin was talking to another general when Suho leant in to whisper to Kyungsoo. “Where have you been? You haven’t even visited me in months.”

“I’ve been busy.” Kyungsoo explained.

“So busy you can’t even visit your own mother?” Suho was obviously bitter.

“Go ask Uncle Kris then. He was supposed to look for me but he instead went and did something else.” Kyungsoo tried to shift the blame to Kris.

Kris spoke up, “Hey hey hey, I did go look for you. I was just caught up. Suho, I swear I did believe me.”

“Didn’t you just release a new line of toys or something while I was missing?” Kyungsoo sneered. “You were busy hiring some idol group to promote it, just so you can fawn over the girls.”

Kris confessed, “Well, that is true but I had dealings with the Vatican too and-.”

Suho shook her head. “You two give me a headache.”

“It’s Uncle Kris. It’s him not me.” Kyungsoo explained.

It was always like this when the three were put in the same room, which was one of the reasons they did not visit each other often. They were known to be a productive but dysfunctional family. Hardly anyone there was even fazed or bothered by their squabble.

 

Baekhyun sighed as she watched from the balcony above. “There they go again.”

Sehun shook his head. “I saw this coming.”

 

The meeting went on and ended smoothly without any setbacks. The remaining Generals and Jongin unanimously agreed that Kyungsoo would be elected as a new General. Kyungsoo was reluctant but had to accept the job especially when Hell was faced with the threat of war. Kyungsoo accepted the job on the spot and would hold her position alongside her current position of High Commissioner.

Once everyone had left, Kyungsoo went up to the balcony to talk to Sehun while Baekhyun waited nearby when Jongin approached them.

“Oh, hi father.” Sehun greeted Jongin.

Kyungsoo tried to hide herself from scowling at Jongin’s presence. She did not greet nor acknowledge his presence.

Jongin smiled. “May I have some time alone with your mother? I have to talk to her about work.”

“Yes, sure. Just let me know when you’re done.” Sehun excused himself, dragging Baekhyun by the arm with him.

Baekhyun had wanted to stay to hear what they were talking about.

 

“What do you want, Jongin?” Kyungsoo asked, obviously irritated with her arms crossed at her chest.

Jongin answered, “I don’t trust anybody else with this and my father had personally asked you for help. We need your help locating my half brother, the one whom we lost over twenty years ago. We believe he’s in the human world now living in Seoul and you’re our best contact who knows the place.”

Kyungsoo inquired, “You mean the boy born when your father knocked up a human from years ago?”

“Yes, that one.” Jongin confirmed.

Kyungsoo reasoned, “Why do I have to be involved in your family matter? Didn’t you say I’m an outsider yourself? If the boy is happy living in the human world then shouldn’t we just let him be? Why only look for him now?”

Jongin revealed, “We suspect that Lu Han is reviving the Separatist army with his defection. We need that boy to help us gain an edge if we go to war. Unlike the other half demons, he’s the only one with a human mother so he can work with human weapons, which will work against our enemies. It will be advantageous for our side.”

Kyungsoo responded, “So you just want me to find your half-brother to use as your living weapon? He’s an adult by now for sure, isn’t he worthy of making his decision? Did it ever occur to you about that?”

Jongin stated, “I don’t have much to say to you. Find him Kyungsoo, or we’ll send you as the ‘living weapon’. It’s either you or him. You don’t want to die yet don’t you? I’ve helped you many times in the past and now it’s time for you to help not just me, but all of Hell too.”

If they were arguing, Jongin would have won with that statement. Kyungsoo closed her eyes as she heard Jongin’s words. He was telling the truth. She had long wanted to avoid this and had done a good job of trying to forget it. Kyungsoo couldn’t run from the fact that she was born to die and although she had taken many detours and paths around it, it was once again laid out in front of her. Kyungsoo honestly thought she had worked her way around it, but being born the only black haired demon didn’t come without consequences. She was the living reminder of the curse demons bore for defecting from God’s side.

“Fine. I’ll do it.” Kyungsoo forced herself to comply.

“Good. It gives you an excuse to be in the human world too. Look on the bright side. You can be with your new boyfriend thing.” Jongin scoffed, not even trying to hide the jealousy in his tone.

 

 

Chanyeol did not expect it, but he had hoped and didn’t realize it was so soon. Kyungsoo came back for him later that night, just half a day since she left. Just as Chanyeol had dressed into his pajamas ready to go to sleep early that night, Kyungsoo knocked on his door.

Chanyeol had initially thought it would be his neighbor but it was Kyungsoo indeed. Kyungsoo had ditched the crimson cape and was wearing rather normal civilian clothing, especially for the freezing weather outside. It had begun to snow that day. Winter had started in the human world but it was still spring in Hell.

 

“I’m sorry I’m a bit late. I hope I didn’t wake you.” Kyungsoo hoped she wasn’t inconveniencing Chanyeol.

Chanyeol reassured her, “No. Not yet. I was just about to but I haven’t gone to sleep.”

“Well that’s good then.” Kyungsoo smiled, tucking a lock of her hair behind her ear.

“You look stressed out.” Chanyeol commented, rubbing Kyungsoo’s shoulders once they had made her way to the living room.

“A bit” Kyungsoo sighed as she felt relief course through her from having Chanyeol touch her.

“Did everything go well?” Chanyeol asked as he moved his hands lower to rub her back while they were still standing.

Kyungsoo nodded and mumbled, “Yeah it’s ok.”

Chanyeol further asked, “Really? Then what can I do to make you feel better? Is there anything you want me to do? What do you usually do when you’re stressed?”

 

Kyungsoo did not answer. Chanyeol moved to hug Kyungsoo from behind and kissed her on the neck, as he breathed warm air against her neck. Kyungsoo tilted her head to give Chanyeol more access to her skin. Chanyeol’s hands were around her arms.

Kyungsoo felt Chanyeol lightly nip and suck onto the thin flesh on her neck. “You’re horny already?” Kyungsoo had to ask.

“Maybe I am”, Chanyeol breathed against her neck. “I thought you’d look nice without any clothes. Maybe I can help you feel better then.”

Kyungsoo chuckled. “That’s bold of you isn’t it. Not too long ago you were a prude still.”

“Well, no one told me sex could feel good.” Chanyeol was painfully honest to himself. He was a different man now and he admitted that. Only now Chanyeol understood why the church forbade them to have physical relations. It was so good and it was a deep abyss to sink in.

“I have to ask you something though.” Kyungsoo flinched slightly when Chanyeol sunk his teeth down hard, knowing that he was trying to leave a hickey there.

“What is it?” Chanyeol hummed against the crook of her neck.

“How did you learn the demon language?” Kyungsoo turned her head to look over her shoulders at Chanyeol behind her.

“I’ll tell if you let me make you feel better.” Chanyeol negotiated.

Kyungsoo inquired, “How do you plan to do that?”

“Like this”. Chanyeol kneeled to pick up Kyungsoo around the hips, throwing her over his shoulders and carrying Kyungsoo to his room.

 

Chanyeol was stronger than he looked and Kyungsoo could feel that when he lifted her weight over his shoulders without any much effort. Chanyeol carefully put down Kyungsoo on the bed on freshly cleaned sheets. Kyungsoo sat up on the edge of the bed while Chanyeol knelt on the floor between her legs

“Dick will make me feel better?” Kyungsoo joked, rubbing Chanyeol’s moppy hair on his head in between her legs.

“I was thinking of something that involves you more.” Chanyeol added, hooking his fingers around the buckle of Kyungsoo’s pants. “May I?” Chanyeol looked up to Kyungsoo for the confirmation.

Kyungsoo nodded. Chanyeol took the cue to pull unbutton her pants and pulled it down her legs, throwing it aside on the floor. Kyungsoo removed her shirt by herself, tossing it on the floor to join her trousers. Kyungsoo did not remove her bra and proceeded to lie down on the bed, her hips pressed onto the edge and her legs on the floor.

Chanyeol kissed her navel and the skin just above the elastic band of her blue underwear before pulling it down, leaving it hanging around her ankles.

“So, when are you going to tell me?” Kyungsoo piped up.

“Soon”, Chanyeol answered before wetting his lips with his tongue and licking the entire length of Kyungsoo’s opening.

 

Kyungsoo let out a long uncontrollable moan and cupped a hand over her mouth, slightly surprised at the involuntary sound that escaped her throat. Kyungsoo always enjoyed being eaten out and since being divorced and deprived of sex from then, she had almost forgotten how pleasurable it felt.

Chanyeol was beginning to guess that his dreams told the future because he had dreamt of this before. Chanyeol had never done this before but in the dream, he had known what exactly to do. Here, he was replicating what he knew about eating pussy from a dream. It seemed like a headache inducing paradox but Chanyeol wasn’t going to question it now.

Chanyeol located Kyungsoo’s clit and ran the tip of his tongue over it, before settling it gently between his upper teeth and tongue to suck on it. Kyungsoo was biting on her fingers as she moaned deeply, sounds spilling from her throat against her will.

 

Chanyeol had his hands hold down her hips, to avoid Kyungsoo from bucking against him. Chanyeol wanted to be in control. Kyungsoo’s thighs closed in around Chanyeol. Chanyeol took it as a sign that she wanted more. Chanyeol continued sucking on Kyungsoo’s clit while his tongue ran over it in repeated motions.

Chanyeol released his right hand holding Kyungsoo’s hips, sliding his fingers across the wetness of Kyungsoo’s sex before slowly entering his middle finger in until the second knuckle. Kyungsoo was now grabbing onto Chanyeol’s hair, the other hand grabbing the sheets. Kyungsoo let out what seemed to be a suppressed cry when Chanyeol added another finger in.

Kyungsoo’s thighs wrapped around Chanyeol’s head now felt tighter. Her body was shaking and quivering as Chanyeol sped up the pace of his tongue and fingers. Chanyeol was only breathing through his nose now, not letting his mouth up once even for a second to make sure Kyungsoo finished off this time.

 

“yeol-ah”, Kyungsoo gasped. “Don’t stop.” Kyungsoo was trying not to pull on too hard onto Chanyeol’s hair, but her body seemed to be moving against her will. Chanyeol was good despite being a beginner at it. Kyungsoo could only imagine how much better he could get.

Chanyeol was turned on from hearing Kyungsoo call him for the first time with the affectionate form of his name. Chanyeol hummed against Kyungsoo’s skin, adding more pressure on his fingers that were rubbing Kyungsoo on the inside.

Kyungsoo began breathing heavier than she already did, as her hips began bucking wildly even against Chanyeol’s hold. Kyungsoo’s threw her head back against the mattress as Chanyeol could feel her walls tightening against his fingers. Kyungsoo’s eyes were screwed shut as she let out what seemed to be a yell, before her breathing slowed down and became more even.

Chanyeol finally released her from his mouth and pulled out his fingers. Leaning against her now relaxed thigh, Chanyeol looked up to Kyungsoo. “Did you cum?”

Kyungsoo nodded. “Yes”, she answered between gasps. “You were good, Chanyeol.”

 

Kyungsoo sat up on the bed, pulling Chanyeol up to kiss him. She could taste herself on Chanyeol’s mouth, alongside the personal taste of his own saliva and mouth.

“Now, we need to take care of you.” Kyungsoo mentioned, referring to the obvious bulge in Chanyeol’s pajama trousers. “I’m surprised you didn’t actually touch yourself while you were going down on me.”

Chanyeol smiled, “I already said I wanted to do something that involved you.”

 

Kyungsoo helped Chanyeol undress before taking off her bra, where the clothes joined the rest on a messy heap on the floor. It had stopped snowing outside, and a sheet of snow was now resting on the balcony outside the sliding glass doors in Chanyeol’s room. The curtains were left slightly open so it wasn’t entirely dark in the room. The room faced a park outside and they were four floors up, so no one would see them anyway.

Chanyeol was standing at the edge of the bed, with Kyungsoo’s hips hanging off the edge. Chanyeol helped lift Kyungsoo’s legs to rest on his torso, his hands holding her legs up by the thighs. Chanyeol had positioned himself at her entrance when Kyungsoo let out a surprised gasp.

Chanyeol pulled back in worry. “What’s wrong?” Chanyeol asked in concern, leaning down to stroke her face.

“We don’t have a condom.” Kyungsoo blurted out.

“Do you want to stop now? It’s okay if you don’t want to.”

Kyungsoo shook her head. “No. Go ahead.”

All the blood in her head had really been running down to her vagina at this point, losing her voice of reason. Kyungsoo was known to be reckless and a risk taker, that the people around her were worried for her. Kyungsoo had to bite back her words that day as she allowed Chanyeol to go ahead without protection. Chanyeol himself was just about equally reckless as her.

 

Kyungsoo let out a long stretched moan as Chanyeol penetrated her with his length. Kyungsoo’s back arched over the mattress as Chanyeol remembered to still his breathing. This was the second time but it still felt so good he felt dizzy from the pleasure. Chanyeol was rougher this time, as he grabbed onto her hips, pounding into Kyungsoo at his own speedy pace and breathing loudly above her. Kyungsoo was able to move her hips to meet his thrusts this time, rolling it back against him to create more pleasure for the both of them. 

Kyungsoo snuck a hand down between them to rub her now sensitive and engorged clit. Chanyeol was even more turned on and aroused from watching her pleasure himself, while he was balls deep and thrusting within her. Chanyeol spread Kyungsoo’s legs by her thighs to look down and watch as his dick slide in and out of her, visually and physically pleasuring both his sense at the time. It made him feel breathless and surreal. It almost made him feel breathless.

“Jesus Christ, that’s hot.” Chanyeol swore under his breath, eyes heavily lidded and dark bangs falling over his eyes.

Kyungsoo laughed from beneath him.

 

Kyungsoo finished off first this time from the self stimulation and aided by Chanyeol’s thrusts inside her. Chanyeol was close himself, when he put a knee up onto the bed to lean forward against Kyungsoo, arms holding his weight up. Kyungsoo rested her arms on Chanyeol’s back, tracing her fingers down his back in encouragement. Chanyeol nuzzled his face against her neck, breathing down it as he slowed down his thrusts until his orgasm hit him like a sudden wave of satisfaction and pleasure. Chanyeol didn’t even think of pulling out as he came within Kyungsoo.

“Soo…”, Chanyeol cried out against Kyungsoo’s neck, warm breath spilling against her skin.

Chanyeol laid down for a while against Kyungsoo before getting up and pulling out of her, as his still warm cum trickled down from her entrance to the mattress. Chanyeol felt guilty and wanted to apologize for that, but put the thought to a halt when he looked to Kyungsoo and saw that she was now sitting up, looking at him with intent in her eyes.

“So, Chanyeol, don’t have you something to tell me?” Kyungsoo asked, not breaking eye contact from him. Chanyeol thought she looked sort of angry, although Kyungsoo was really being questioning.

Chanyeol buried his face in his hands, still naked and kneeling at the edge of the bed naked with a limp dick that could use some cleaning. “I guess we should get married now?” Chanyeol mumbled, face still in his hands.

“What!? That’s not what I meant.” Kyungsoo exclaimed.

“Then what is it?” Chanyeol removed his hands from his face to look at Kyungsoo with a worried face. “I said I’d take responsibility didn’t I?”

Kyungsoo was confused herself now. Shaking her head, Kyungsoo spoke to Chanyeol in the demon language. “No. It's not that. Tell me how you learnt the tongue of demons?””

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> don't look at me lol


	11. It won't change

 

Chanyeol had tried to explain but Kyungsoo held a hand over his mouth and shook her head. “I changed my mind. Don’t tell me.”

Chanyeol peeled off Kyungsoo’s hand from his mouth, looking at her confusedly. “But I thought you wanted to know?”

“No. Not now. We’ll save it for later.” Kyungsoo knew. She couldn’t confirm it nor did she want to think about it, but Kyungsoo knew she could try to pretend and ignore it. Kyungsoo didn’t want to face the truth not just yet.

 

Kyungsoo fell asleep in Chanyeol’s arms that night, pretending she never heard nor seen every evidence that pointed her towards Chanyeol’s real identity. Kyungsoo could set out and find the truth for herself should she choose to, but she didn’t want that now. Kyungsoo buried all the thoughts and speculations she had in the deepest recess of her mind. Right now, she just wanted to be with Chanyeol without anyone or anything in their way.

Chanyeol kissed the sleeping Kyungsoo on her forehead that night. He was still unable to fall asleep. “I wish I had an answer to tell you too.” Chanyeol whispered softly as he looked at her sleeping figure.

Chanyeol rested his forehead against Kyungsoo’s and fell asleep in that position to the calm sounds of their now synchronized breathing. Chanyeol wouldn’t wish any different than this moment to be with Kyungsoo, nor would he tolerate anything that stood between them.

 

The topic was never brought back up or discussed since then. There was an obvious rift and awkward silence between them the first few days that followed after, but things slowly returned as they were. Soon they were teasing and making jokes while laughing at the dinner table again, watching TV together with their legs crossed over each other’s and even going out together for BBQ where the waitress was still obviously scared of Kyungsoo.

Kyungsoo continued staying with Chanyeol pretending to be his “cousin”, although Mrs. Choi started looking at them differently when they ran into her after one night of being too loud during sex. Kyungsoo being the demon actually enjoyed watching Mrs. Choi being cautious and uncomfortable of them, which she responded to by striking empty conversations with the retiree who couldn’t refuse out of politeness just to see her squirm.

Kyungsoo left every morning after Chanyeol for her job in Hell, and either one would return just slightly earlier than the other. Kyungsoo had unofficially moved herself into Chanyeol’s apartment although their relationship status was still up in the air. Kyungsoo wanted to consider Chanyeol as her boyfriend but thought against it when he never brought it up himself.

At this rate, Kyungsoo felt as if they were just friends with benefits, whom she does regular booty calls for. Kyungsoo always knew she’d be the first to fall in love, but she also knew that loving someone did not guarantee that she would be loved back.

Suho, Kris and Sehun eventually found out about Kyungsoo being with Chanyeol, although they had yet to meet each other. Sehun simply shook his head when he heard about Kyungsoo dating a human. Kris couldn’t care less and Suho sighed, believing that it was a spell for a disaster but wanted Kyungsoo to be happy too. Jongin was painfully jealous but could not lay his hands on a human. He was being watched by Heaven due to being the son of Lucifer, and they were just waiting for him to commit an infraction before banning him from entering the human world again.

Baekhyun wanted to be a supportive friend herself, and eventually started visiting Kyungsoo in the human world and thought that she wanted to befriend Chanyeol too. Somehow, Chanyeol agreed to it and decided that all three of them should have dinner together. It would be the first time Chanyeol and Baekhyun would meet each other.

 

Kyungsoo was making the dinner that evening, when Baekhyun arrived knocking on the door. Chanyeol was helping set the table and went up to get the door.

“Oh my god.” Chanyeol exclaimed when he swung the door open.

“It’s you?” Baekhyun shrieked.

“What’s wrong?” Kyungsoo turned the stove off to rush to the door at the sound of the commotion. “Oh, this is my friend Baekhyun. The one I told you who was coming over to visit.’

“Yes, but this is your friend?” Chanyeol pointed to Baekhyun.

“You two know each other?” Kyungsoo asked both Chanyeol and Baekhyun.

Baekhyun responded, “Girl, this was the exorcist that chased me down an entire football field a few years ago when I was sent on a mission because you were still hiding from Jongin.”

Kyungsoo laughed. “Chanyeol is the one?” Kyungsoo laughed so hard she had to hold onto her sides. “I remember you were complaining for days after that.”

“Yeah”, Baekhyun and Chanyeol spoke monotonously in unison before looking at each other and sighing at the memory.

Both Baekhyun and Chanyeol remembered the event from years ago, where they had to run several laps on a football field in the dead of night. Baekhyun had been discovered and Chanyeol was sent out after her, where they came across each other on the football field. Baekhyun didn’t want a confrontation and had tried to run, but ended up running laps until Chanyeol collapsed from exhaustion. It was not something they both easily forgot about.

 

Chanyeol fixed the table as Kyungsoo and Baekhyun helped to make the dinner. During that, Chanyeol looked at them and realized how there was two demons in his apartment, and that he wasn’t trying to kill any of them and would actually be sitting to have dinner with them. Just half a year ago, Chanyeol wouldn’t even dream of doing that. He realized he had come a ways since then. Even Baekhyun, whom he had inconvenienced in the past, didn’t seem to mind him and they got along well. Humans were really wrong about demons all the time.

After the dinner, Chanyeol realized he was running out of several items. Baekhyun quickly offered to run to the store with Kyungsoo, leaving Chanyeol to do the dishes and cleaning. Baekhyun had just wanted to have a talk alone with Kyungsoo, taking the opportunity to do so.

 

Christmas was only a week away and the entire place was adorned in the appropriate decorations. Christmas jingles were heard throughout the store. Kyungsoo rolled her eyes when she saw Kris’ new Christmas themed line of stuffed toys in the store window. It was one of the most popular selling items especially for the season.

At the supermarket, Kyungsoo had a shopping basket hooked on her arm as she went through the numerous bottles of spices on the shelf to find the one Chanyeol wanted.

Baekhyun leant close to Kyungsoo, their arms touching. Baekhyun was just an inch taller than Kyungsoo. “Are you really okay with this?”

“With what?” Kyungsoo glanced for a second to Baekhyun before returning her attention back to the shelves in front of her.

Baekhyun clarified, “You know…that human?”

“You mean Chanyeol.” Kyungsoo responded. “He has a name you know.”

Baekhyun nodded. “Mhm”

“What’s wrong with it?” Kyungsoo took a bottle from the shelf and placed it into the basket, making her way to the frozen section.

Baekhyun followed behind Kyungsoo. “He hunts our kind, Kyungsoo. Also, he just seems weird to me. Like I can’t put a name to it but he just does.”

“I trust him. He won’t hurt me.” Kyungsoo shifted through the frozen packets in the freezer before pulling out the one she wanted, adding it to the basket.

“Physically maybe he won’t hurt you, but it’s the wounds you can’t see that hurts most. I don’t want to see you hurt anymore, Kyungsoo.” Baekhyun mentioned as they headed to the cashier.

“I appreciate that, Baekhyun. You are a good friend but you don’t have to worry.” Kyungsoo assured as she placed the shopping items on the conveyor belt at the cashier counter.

Baekhyun leant both her arms on the counter as she looked at the frozen meat Kyungsoo had bought for Chanyeol. “He does eat a lot of meat doesn’t he? I’m surprised you like to be with a meat eater so much.”

Kyungsoo remarked, “He eats pussy quite well too.”

Lucky for them, the cashier didn’t understand a word they said. Baekhyun chuckled as he heard Kyungsoo say that. Baekhyun noticed the rows of condom and threw a box onto the conveyor belt.

“Get that unless you want Sehun 2.0. You’re always irresponsible when it comes to that.” Baekhyun noted, tapping Kyungsoo on her back. “I’ll wait outside.”

“But I already had my period this month.” Kyungsoo tried telling Baekhyun.

“Girl, you’re reckless and the whole of Hell knows that though.” Baekhyun responded, leaving through the automatic sliding doors of the supermarket.

 

Kyungsoo heeded Baekhyun’s words but didn’t give it too much thought until later that night.  Kyungsoo was lying down in bed facing a sleeping Chanyeol. Kyungsoo had fallen asleep earlier but woke up in the middle of the night unable to sleep despite the clear weather.

Kyungsoo felt stuck between a rock and a hard place. She knew Chanyeol could be the lost son of Lucifer that she was supposed to find. But if she turned him in to Hell, Chanyeol might die in a war that was bound to happen. Even if Chanyeol wasn’t that person and was just human, Kyungsoo knew she would outlive him for a very long time and didn’t think she would be able to bury him one day when the time came. Either option didn’t seem too favorable for both of them. 

It was at that moment that Kyungsoo knew she was in love, when she realized that she could not bear to live in a world where Chanyeol was no longer there. Kyungsoo was not going to let herself lose Chanyeol, and she would put her life on the line if it meant he could live on.

Baekhyun was right. Kyungsoo’s pain wasn’t visible but it hurt the most, more than any other pain. Kyungsoo never ended up telling Chanyeol of her current mission, which was to find the half-human son of Lucifer, despite all the signs and flags waving at Chanyeol. Kyungsoo never carried out her task of even trying to locate the lost prince of Hell. Kyungsoo didn’t want to know and denial was one hell of a strong drug.

 

 

 

Christmas was a busy time for Chanyeol. He had to be in the church almost all the time to help prepare and arrange for the numerous events that went on during the festive period. It was during that one time of the year where the exorcist felt more like priests. Demon hunting was at an all time low during Christmas and it seemed like the demons respected that too. Demons themselves despised Christmas and usually stayed away from the human world during those times. Kyungsoo herself hated to celebrate the festival of the birth of Hell’s enemy, but somehow she was touched at seeing

 

The day before Christmas Eve, Chanyeol was working late arranging the donations and gifts to be given out to the children from an orphanage the church help funded. Chanyeol was helping move the boxes to Jongdae who conveniently drove a large pickup truck. They were going to send the gifts to the orphanage that night too.

It was past 10pm when they arrived at the orphanage. The place was quiet as the children were in their rooms and only the staff that lived in was up and about. It was a very old orphanage, with thick brick walls and built in a European fashion from the first missionaries that had first came to Korea.

Chanyeol helped haul the boxes from Jongdae’s truck into a room the staff had pointed them to put the gifts at. The room seemed to be an office which was no longer in use but had numerous books and picture frames lined on a shelf that spanned the entire wall. The room itself was dimly lit. It was snowing heavily outside and the room was eerily quiet minus the sounds of Chanyeol and Jongdae scuffling and moving about.

 

Once the last box had been placed, Jongdae went off to talk to one of the orphanage’s staff regarding the gifts they had sent. Chanyeol stayed by himself in the room watching the rows upon rows of shelves which held numerous pictures of the orphanage’s previous dwellers and staff members.

Chanyeol could not help himself to pick up one picture frame because of how much the boy in the picture resembled him. Chanyeol took a closer look and realized his mother was in the picture too holding his hand and smiling. The boy was obviously a younger Chanyeol too, and he started wondering how the orphanage had a picture of him and his mother. Chanyeol did not remember taking the  picture but he remembered owning the shirt he wore in the picture. Chanyeol thought that perhaps his mother knew the people there.

Chanyeol started to think differently when he turned over the frame and found a note stuck to the back which read “ _Adoption of Lee Chanyeol, 1998_ ”.

“Lee? No, that’s a mistake. My surname is Park. My mother’s surname is not Lee either”, Chanyeol mutered to himself.

Chanyeol did not understand. The woman in the picture was his mother and the boy was him, but Chanyeol did not believe he was adopted. Then again, it was not like he remembered anything that happened before he turned five. His mother had claimed that at age six, he had fell off a swing at the playground and suffered a concussion and forgotten everything that happened before then.

There was one thing Chanyeol did remember. He always remembered to speak and think in a different language, but didn’t know where the language came from that was until he encountered his first demon at age nineteen as a trainee exorcist.

Chanyeol remembered understanding every word and profanity the demon had spewed at him. Chanyeol never told anyone he understood it as it put him at an advantage against the other exorcists, and he didn’t want anyone challenging him. Chanyeol was well revered for being good at interrogating demons for this, and he never once stopped to question how he knew about it

Chanyeol heard footsteps approaching and quickly pulled the picture out from the frame, stuffing it into the coat of his black priest uniform before putting the empty frame back. Chanyeol also ripped the note off the back of the frame to take with him. Chanyeol wanted to go home and ask Kyungsoo about it.  His first thought was that he had to let Kyungsoo know about it. As of late, Kyungsoo is always the first person he thinks of when he wants to talk or tell of something.

 

Jongdae dropped off Chanyeol at his apartment since it was snowing rather heavily. The drive back was silent as the picture Chanyeol had stole felt heavy against his chest inside his coat pocket. Chanyeol swore Jongdae noticed how uncomfortable he got, but Chanyeol had quickly changed the topic to something else.

 

No matter how much of a rush Chanyeol was in, he never forgot to remove the cross he wore around his neck before setting foot into his apartment. Chanyeol never left home without it, but he wouldn’t put it on while Kyungsoo was around as his way of accommodating her. Chanyeol stuffed into his coat pocket before making his way inside his apartment.

Kyungsoo greeted Chanyeol at the door. She looked tired and was about ready to go to sleep. Chanyeol quickly walked in, shaking the snow off at the doorway. Kyungsoo helped remove his coat and hung it up.

“Kyungsoo, I have to show you something.” Chanyeol spoke hastily as he pulled the picture to show it to her.

Kyungsoo blinked a few times before pressing her glasses closer to her face to look properly. Kyungsoo looked to Chanyeol, “Well I think you look cute as a kid.”

“No it’s not that. Look at this.” Chanyeol pulled out the note and handed that to Kyungsoo too.

“I thought your surname is Park? You’re adopted too?” Kyungsoo herself had too many questions now.

Chanyeol took a deep breath. He was still standing by the door with Kyungsoo, his back to a wall. “Kyungsoo, remember when you asked me about how I understood the demon language? I always knew. My mom said I had an accident as a child and I lost all my memories, but I didn’t forget to speak that language. If I really was adopted, I think I might be the child of a demon.” Chanyeol leant forward, grabbing both of Kyungsoo’s hand into his. His hands were cold and shaking. Chanyeol’s eyes spelt fear and Kyungsoo could see that very well.

Kyungsoo leant her head back slightly from Chanyeol who was being too close to her. “Well that will be confusing for me too.”

“Why?”

Kyungsoo explained, “Recently, I was sent to the human world again to find Lucifer’s second son. He had gotten a human pregnant almost thirty years ago and lost his son when the woman ran away and left. Now, Hell is going into a war and we need that son to fight for us. I thought it was you, Chanyeol, but I didn’t want to believe it. I couldn’t believe the son of Satan himself would be working for his enemies. This all just seems too surreal even for me.”

“Am I that son?” Chanyeol was shaking and his voice began stuttering. “T-The one you are supposed to look for?”

“I don’t know myself. Have you asked your parents about whether you really were adopted?”

“No.” Chanyeol paused, biting his lower lip in thought. “I haven’t.”

Kyungsoo stated, “Look, its late now. I don’t think any parent would be comfortable with their son-adopted or not coming at midnight asking if they were adopted. We’ll do it later, okay? I’ll return to Hell first thing in the morning and I’ll ask my ex-husband what else he knows. I’ll tell you tomorrow once I know.”

“…but what if I’m really demon?” Chanyeol stammered, messy hair falling over his sorrow eyes.

“It won’t change how I feel about you.” Kyungsoo assured him with a soft smile. “We’ll figure out something even if you are. We’ll find a way. I have a plan so don’t worry.”

Kyungsoo pulled Chanyeol into a hug to calm him down. Chanyeol hugged Kyungsoo back and rested his head against her. It was soothing for him and he almost fell asleep hugging her until Kyungsoo patted him on the back to move to the bed. Chanyeol didn’t bother changing or showering and went to bed fully dressed in the priest garb. Chanyeol slept with his head lying on Kyungsoo’s chest. It always calmed him to do so and Kyungsoo herself fell asleep shortly after.

 

 

The next morning, Kyungsoo had no choice but to visit Jongin in his office. Jongin’s had an office in the palace separate from other people due to his position. Despite his stature, he had a rather plain office with an oak desk in front of a large window. It was sunny that day in Hell. Demons were not affected by the sun in their own world.

“I was told you would be coming.” Jongin spoke up from behind the pile of files on his desk. His chin was resting on his hands propped up on the desk. Jongin looked weary and tired.

Kyungsoo took the seat on the chair opposite Jongin’s desk. She always felt cautious to be in Jongin’s office and had rarely even been there while they were married. They had done their best to separate their personal lives from their job.

“Yes, I’m working on that lost brother case of yours.” Kyungsoo answered, arms placed on either side of the chair’s armrests. “But I need your help with it.”

“What do you need?” Jongin picked up a ruler to sweep off the scrunched balls of paper into a waste basket at the edge of the table.

“I have someone I think may be your brother, but I can’t confirm it so I need a stand of your hair if I may.” Kyungsoo stated.

“For those DNA testing things?” Jongin replied.

“Yeah, I’ll get it done by a private firm in the human world. Give me a few if you can.”

“Sure, go ahead.” Jongin was cooperative and plucked out several strands of hair from his head before sealing it in an envelope.

Jongin handed the envelope to Kyungsoo who took hold of it. Jongin however did not release the envelope from his hand, staring straight into Kyungsoo’s eyes.

“You’re going to give this to me.” Kyungsoo firmly spoke, slightly tugging onto the envelope but being careful not to tear it apart.

After a moment of silence, Jongin finally let it go and looked away back to his work. “Just do your thing.”

“Thank you”. Kyungsoo stood up, tucking the enveloped into her coat pocket.

Before Kyungsoo was about to leave, Jongin spoke up. “Why do you need this though? You should remember how he looked like from years ago. He couldn’t have changed much as he grew up. You and Kris were there after all that night when we lost him. Kris doesn’t remember too? Does the boy not remember you either or do you not want him to remember?”

Kyungsoo did not answer Jongin. She didn’t know the answer herself and she hoped that it wouldn’t be the case. If it was Chanyeol, she hoped he wouldn’t remember that night.

 

 

Just like Kyungsoo had planned with Chanyeol, he went over to his family for dinner first. Chanyeol did not bring up the topic and everyone was happy and smiling. Chanyeol did not recall being treated differently even if he turned out to be adopted, and it seemed like he was the only one out of the loop. Chanyeol felt loved by his family and never felt otherwise, even if he couldn’t fathom yet why they would hide his origins a secret if he turned out to be adopted.

For now, Chanyeol wanted to forget his dilemma and celebrate the time to be with his family. Chanyeol buried the thoughts and genuinely enjoyed the dinner with his family. After the dinner, Chanyeol had to leave for church first before everyone else. As much as he wanted to deny it, knowing was still better than living a lie. Chanyeol managed to find strands of hair from his mother’s hat and on the floor. Chanyeol shifted through the trash can for nail clippings which he assumed was his sister’s, which he kept hidden away in a small zip locked plastic bag.

Before he left for church, Chanyeol went through the family picture albums and found no picture with him in it from before 1998, the year he was supposedly adopted. Chanyeol just wanted to believe it was pure coincidental at that point.

 

 

Chanyeol kept his phone on his person and even by the time the service had begun, he still couldn’t reach Kyungsoo yet. She didn’t call and Chanyeol couldn’t just pull out his phone during the mass to try and reach her. Chanyeol had wanted to contact Kyungsoo all day but was unable to do so due to how busy he was, and that she was busy herself. Chanyeol also assumed Kyungsoo wouldn’t be able to visit him because he would be in the church almost all day, and demons did not celebrate Christmas anyway.

Even if Chanyeol’s phone started ringing now, he wouldn’t be able to hear it. The only sounds that filled the church walls were the sounds of the church choir singing with the crowd, accompanied by the church organ. The harmonious tune echoed and reverberated off the packed church walls; even if one were to talk loudly you would barely hear yourself over the sounds.

Chanyeol stood in the front row of the crowd beside Jongdae and all the other priests, all focused and looking down onto their hymn books. Chanyeol was looking at his too but was distracted by the tune the organ now played. It was the same tune played from the stranger that night. Chanyeol lifted his head among all the bowed heads and turned to look behind at the mezzanine floor at the back of the church. It was a large church and harder to see because it was a distant’s away, but Chanyeol could not miss the figure of the crimson cape standing at the balcony, in a church full of exorcists on Christmas Eve out of all days and places. Chanyeol made sure to look twice but it was her inddeed.

 

Kyungsoo waved from the balcony and Chanyeol’s mouth gasped in horror, hoping no one would see and recognize her as a demon. Kyungsoo was bold on top of reckless indeed. From Kyungsoo's side, eventhough it physically pained her, she knew it was an important day for Chanyeol and wanted to be there for him.

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I already have an ending in mind and I planned to wrap this up by chapter 20 or so, but what I had thought of is rather plot-driven and I want this to stay a character-driven story focusing on internal and interpersonal struggles/issues (or so I think). If I were to make this more plot-driven I'd have enough material for a two part novel lol, but then it'd be some military AU about Kyungsoo pawning shit while naked and Chanyeol would simply be a side character just because he's involved with Kyungsoo.  
> With that being said, this will still be character-driven with plot and I also don't know WTF I'm doing. Thank you everyone who reads this :D


	12. Chapter 12

 

Chanyeol was sweating in the chilly church among the crowd. He wanted to yell at Kyungsoo to hide but he didn’t want to attract any more attention to her. Jongdae looked up to see what was interesting Chanyeol, but he had pressed Jongdae’s head down again.

“It’s nothing, sunbaenim.” Chanyeol smiled awkwardly, letting go of his hold on Jongdae’s head. “We should pray.”

“Well, okay then.” Jongdae responded confusedly, slightly twitching his neck from being turned around so sudden.

Chanyeol turned to look behind again and didn’t see Kyungsoo this time. Chanyeol only hoped she was alright and that no one had found out about her yet. Chanyeol looked up to the large clock on the wall at the front of the church. It was almost midnight and the service would be done soon. He just wanted to get it over with to be with Kyungsoo now.

 

As the clock ticked to almost midnight and the last song “Silent Night” was sung, the church lights were dimmed. Chanyeol was tasked with lighting the Christ Candle, and to pass the candle flame down the line for the congregation. Chanyeol reached the end of the line at the last pew row in the church, and Kyungsoo stood there among all the other people accompanied by the organ-playing stranger. She was no longer wearing the cape and her clothes blended in with the crowd. It would take exorcist tools to actually find out she was a demon right there and then.

Chanyeol did his best to hide his facial expression and urge to just hold Kyungsoo there, pretending to smile and light her candle as they both wished each other “Merry Christmas.” Chanyeol bowed his head before continuing on his way as the bishop made the last address of the night.

Kris leant towards Kyungsoo to talk softly in her ear among the other worshippers. “Is that Chanyeol?”

Kyungsoo nodded, staring ahead. “Yes, that’s him.”

“I’m not sure myself, Kyungsoo. I knew I saw him before but I can’t remember if he is the King’s son. I mean, I remember the boy as a child but now that he’s grown up, I don’t remember if he’s the one we’re looking for.” Kris apologized. “I’m sorry, Kyungsoo. I thought I’d remember if I saw him again but I don’t. Children can change a lot in appearances when they grow up.”

 “It’s alright. I know you have a good memory but I can’t tell if Chanyeol is the one too. It’s probably not him anyway.” Kyungsoo tried to reason.

 

After the service was over, people began leaving all cheerful and smiling wishing each other a “Merry Christmas” and inviting the people they knew there for some gathering later that day. Chanyeol’s family was there also and he was slightly held up before leaving separately.

It had snowed during the service and although it had stopped, the snow had piled up a few inches on the ground. The church exterior and adjacent parking lots were lit with Christmas lights and decorations among the chilly weather.

Chanyeol found Kyungsoo sitting under the large decorated Christmas tree outside, with Kris standing beside her going through his phone.

“Hi, Chanyeol.” Kyungsoo stood up from the snowy pavement and waved cheerfully to Chanyeol. Kyungsoo was dressed entirely in black winter wear, and had a black beanie on her head which matched her hair.

Kris tucked his phone into his coat pocket when he saw Chanyeol approach them. Kris was very smartly dressed in a trench coat and a three piece suit underneath. They were still near the church so Kyungsoo had to restrain herself from the urge to leap into his arms. Chanyeol couldn’t help but smile and began laughing lightly near to Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo was the same too. When they were with each other, they could not help but feel all warm and fuzzy inside. The whole world felt like it revolved around them when they were together.

Kris cleared his throat. “Sorry to disturb you love birds but we haven’t been formally introduced.” Kris turned his attention to Chanyeol. “I’m Kris, Kyungsoo’s uncle. I’m the brother of Kyungsoo’s mother.” Kris held his hand out but Chanyeol did not take to shake it.

Chanyeol responded, “I’ve met you before in the church. So you’re the one funding the Order too?”

“Yes, we have.” Kris put his hand into his coat pocket, slightly feeling awkward that he was refused of a handshake. “…and yes that’s me too.”

“I brought my uncle here today because I thought he’d remember you- if you really are the son of Lucifer.” Kyungsoo lowered her voice as she mentioned the name of Hell’s King, looking around to make sure no one saw or heard them.

“Oh. I see.” Chanyeol blurted.

“I don’t remember you though, but it feels like I did so I can’t confirm.” Kris added. “Also it doesn’t help that the 2nd son of Lucifer was born from a human mother and has a human body, so we can’t use all that trinkets you humans use to hunt demons and see if it works.”

“That’s alright; Kyungsoo and I are going to try another method.” Chanyeol mentions, this time holding Kyungsoo’s glove hand into his.

Kyungsoo was silent as she looked at the two tall men under the lights of the Christmas tree.

“Kyungsoo told me about that. Well then, good luck or whatever. I’m starting to feel sick from being in the church and you two are going back together so I’ll take my leave.” Kris did look like he was dizzy. Before he turned to leave, Kris turned to Chanyeol one last time. “Don’t hurt her, Chanyeol, even if you turn out to be Lucifer’s bastard son or whatnot. I’ve helped raised Kyungsoo since her father walked out on her when she was born. She’s like a daughter to me and I will personally come for you if you do.”

“I won’t do that, I promise.” Chanyeol was proud to proclaim.

Kris sighed ruffling his blond bangs, “Well then. I’ll see you later, Kyungsoo. Also Merry Christmas to you, filthy human.” Kris chuckled thinking he had insulted Chanyeol before throwing up just a few steps later on his new shoes- yet again.

 

The area was empty by the time Kris left, and Chanyeol and Kyungsoo were the only ones remaining outside the church’s compound.

“Do we take the last subway home? I think it runs late tonight.” Chanyeol suggested.

“Sure”, Kyungsoo agreed walking down the snowy path holding Chanyeol’s hand.

Unbeknownst to them, Jongdae was watching them in his pickup truck still parked at the nearby parking lot.

 

Chanyeol had changed out of his priest clothing and felt more at ease to walk down with Kyungsoo pass the shop windows brightly lit with festive lights. He actually felt like they were a normal couple for once, and didn’t have to let their differences come between and separate them.

As expected of a holiday night, some shops were open past midnight and there were people still out and about. Chanyeol felt happy and at bliss that he could actually be in public with Kyungsoo.

Kyungsoo threw up into a trash can about halfway through their walk, finally feeling the sickness of being in a church and having being exposed to prayers. Along the way back, Chanyeol bought Kyungsoo a vegetable burger from a 24-hours fast food chain so she could fill her stomach from throwing up earlier.

The subway was quiet and almost empty that time of the night. Kyungsoo rested her head on Chanyeol’s shoulder during the ride home. Chanyeol himself was about to doze off asleep when Kyungsoo startled him awake.

“I just remembered something.” Kyungsoo mentioned, sitting up straight and reaching into her coat.

“What is it?” Chanyeol yawned.

Kyungsoo handed him a crumpled package wrapped in decorative paper. “Merry Christmas, Chanyeol. I got this for you.”

Chanyeol was fully awake now and took the package in his hands. “Oh. You shouldn’t have.” Chanyeol chuckled, “Did I just get a Christmas gift from a demon?”

Kyungsoo smiled. “Yes, you just did.”

Chanyeol carefully undid the cellophane tape sticking the paper. The package felt soft and Chanyeol guessed it was a garment or some sorts. Chanyeol was right and pulled it out to find a crimson red woolen scarf, which was the same color as Kyungsoo’s cape.

Chanyeol couldn’t help but beamed smiling in joy. “Thank you very much, Kyungsoo. I’m sorry I didn’t get you anything. I know demons hate Christmas and I didn’t want to offend you.”

Kyungsoo giggled. “That’s alright. I don’t expect one either but you celebrate Christmas so I got you one.”

Kyungsoo helped fix the scarf on Chanyeol, as he continued smiling at her. “Your birthday is soon isn’t it? I promise I’ll get you something then.”

“If I have you, that’s enough.” Kyungsoo stated with her hands on his shoulders and eyes locked at each other’s gaze.

It was a simple gesture and a memorable moment, but it felt overwhelming for Kyungsoo. Her emotions were bursting and her conscience were the only thing holding her back from doing so.  She just wanted to scream to the whole world how much she loved Chanyeol and run away with him to a place they could be together, where it didn’t matter if they were demon or human. But such a world did not exist not on Earth and not in Hell, and Kyungsoo decided that she’d just have to do it herself then.

 

 

After the Christmas break, Kyungsoo mailed the DNA samples to a private firm who would do the testing and paid for by Kris. Kyungsoo was contacted that the results would only be received after 2-6 weeks. Hearing it was a relief for her; Kyungsoo was scared of the truth and wanted to pretend like it wasn’t an incoming red flag currently waving its colors at her. Kyungsoo herself was still undecided as to how she would go about it. But for now, there was still time for her to avoid the truth a bit longer.

Emotions were difficult. Kyungsoo only knew how to kill and when she did it was taken care of instantly. This time, Kyungsoo was exploring into unknown lands. Kyungsoo may have not known what to do, but she knew what she wanted. Kyungsoo loved Chanyeol and wanted the best for him.

 

 

Kyungsoo did not spend New Year’s with Chanyeol as he was busy with the church’s own celebration, and she was occupied with work. Although Hell had decided to uniform their calendar with the human’s, New Year’s for demons was not celebrated until June 6. Kyungsoo did not manage to get January 1st as her off day, and had wanted Chanyeol to spend time with his friends and colleagues too.

During a New Year’s Day lunch held at the church for all the staff members, Chanyeol had gone outside to the church’s snow courtyard for some air. Chanyeol was wearing the crimson scarf as he rubbed his hands together for warmth, breath forming mist against the cold air.

Chanyeol wasn’t alone as he was joined by Jongdae shortly later. Laughter and joyous commotion was heard from the mess hall.

“Not going back inside? I think I heard that Sister Jihyun is taking out her famous pot roast for extra servings. You should try it since you like beef.”Jongdae urged, smiling.

“I will. I just needed some air out here.” Chanyeol bowed his head slightly. “You go on ahead first, sunbaenim.”

“Well, be careful then. It’s cold out here and you don’t want anyone finding out you’re a demon, especially here.” Jongdae excused himself, patting Chanyeol on the shoulder.

It was already cold outside but Chanyeol felt even colder and froze in his feet when Jongdae told him those words. Chanyeol himself didn’t know if he really was half-demon and Jongdae could have just been joking or teasing him, but why would he joke of such a thing? Jongdae obviously knew what Chanyeol didn’t, but he was too scared to ask.

Jongdae acted normally throughout the day, like nothing was wrong and Chanyeol played along. He wasn’t sure what Jongdae knew and Chanyeol was shit scared out of his pants. Chanyeol just wanted to grab Kyungsoo now and run away with her. Chanyeol knew things might turn out that way and he still took the risk, but when emotions come in play it sure did get complicated and harder than expected.

 

Chanyeol did not tell Kyungsoo of what Jongdae had told him, dismissing it as a joke that never happened especially since it was never brought up again. Chanyeol wanted to believe there was nothing wrong with that, and although it bothered him, he didn’t want to let it come between him and Kyungsoo. Out of all the mess Chanyeol was facing with his self identity, his top priority remained to be Kyungsoo and somehow it made Chanyeol feel disillusioned.

Chanyeol had never expected a woman and a demon to boot to be the most important thing going on in his life. Chanyeol wondered if it was the right decision, and certainly did think that dropping it and going back to his old life would be peaceful and less stressing. He would know what to do then at  least, but not now.

 

 

On Kyungsoo’s 260th birthday, Chanyeol had arranged for her birthday gift to be a holiday at a ski resort in Gangwon province. Kyungsoo was able to miss work for a week and Chanyeol himself for the first time in his entire priesthood career took a paid holiday leave. Kyungsoo really had him doing things he hadn’t even thought of before.

Chanyeol had been skiing almost every winter as a school boy with his family, but Kyungsoo had never even been out of Seoul and was only even there for work. Chanyeol had asked if there were skiing resorts in Hell but Kyungsoo only shook her head. Demons preferred gambling and fighting each other in staged arenas as a winter time hobby. Demons have even banded guilds of their own for arena fights and to compete as the top guild. Kyungsoo is part of a small guild ran by Baekhyun, only because Baekhyun had persuaded her to fill the numbers.

 

 

The day before Kyungsoo’s birthday, she and Chanyeol travelled to the ski resort by bus, where Kyungsoo squealed upon arriving there at the scenic view of the snow covered landscape. For once, Kyungsoo let down her strong persona and unfazed demeanor to just be comfortable and in tune with how she really felt. Seeing Kyungsoo happy and secure was all Chanyeol wanted.

On the first day they had mostly gone sightseeing. Kyungsoo was hyped and as happy as a child. Chanyeol himself couldn’t help but feel the same way too, and wondered why he had deprived himself of such joy for a long time. Sure, there was his devotion towards religion in the first place, but religion was meant to make people’s lives more fulfilling and Chanyeol certainly felt more fulfilled with Kyungsoo, than he ever did preaching God’s name and getting rid of demons.

Chanyeol realized then that he was in love with Kyungsoo, and it felt different than all the other love. Chanyeol loved his family- even if he turned out to be adopted or not, Chanyeol too still loved God and his religion even if he couldn’t fully agree on the rules and Chanyeol too did love the people he worked with. But loving Kyungsoo was very different and for once, Chanyeol felt the fear of losing her due to the positions they stood in.

The feeling was akin to a hole in his heart that refused to go away and Chanyeol refused to let the fear rule over him.

 

 

On the second day of their ski resort stay on Kyungsoo’s birthday, they finally went skiing with Chanyeol attempting to teach Kyungsoo how. Kyungsoo was never good with balance and fell over several times on the snow, but she always laughed it off and was happy even if she didn’t succeed. Kyungsoo did manage after a while and Chanyeol stayed with her on the beginner slope all day.

As the sun began to set, Chanyeol sat with Kyungsoo on a snowy hill not far from the resort, where they could see the view of the mountains and pine forest under the orange tinted sky at dusk.

“When we get back, we should be getting the DNA results to know if I’m really a half-demon.” Chanyeol mentioned, sitting beside Kyungsoo on the snow.

 “There’s something I have to tell you, if it really turns out that you are son of Lucifer and if you are, I think you should know about this.” Kyungsoo bit her lower lip in thought.

“We haven’t confirmed that yet so it’s up in the air, but if you want to tell me then sure go ahead.” Chanyeol turned his head to look at Kyungsoo sitting beside him and staring ahead.

Kyungsoo exhaled a deep breath before speaking. “The name of the human who mothered Lucifer’s second son is-was a woman named Lee Sera. I don’t know the human name Sera gave her son, because we only knew him by his demon name.”

“Lee? Huh.” Chanyeol almost wanted to laugh. It was a common surname but also the same one as his alleged real one. It was too obvious to be a coincidence but the possibility was still there.

Kyungsoo continued “-she was a very religious woman too like you and when she got pregnant out of wedlock, her family shunned and disowned her for that. Lucifer invited Sera to live in Hell, but she didn’t want to. My uncle and I messed up in a major mission and as punishment; we were made to take care of her in the human world. We made sure she had a job, a home and looked out for during her pregnancy. She gave birth to a boy, and my uncle and I were also the ones who helped babysit him until he was a few years old. Until, she told us one day that she didn’t want our help anymore and cut off contact, but I knew she continued writing to Lucifer still.”

Kyungsoo pulled up her legs to her chest, hugging them and resuming her story. “Sera was originally a very religious woman, and the guilt and fear started eating her up. She began to regret bearing the child of Lucifer. In her final letter she penned to Lucifer, Sera mentioned that she would be giving up her son to the church and exposing his identity as Lucifer’s child.”

Kyungsoo stopped to look to Chanyeol with her eyes round in fear. Chanyeol had been listening attentively and wanted her to finish telling her recollection.

“-so of course Kris and I were sent to stop her from doing that. We were instructed to bring the boy back to Hell with us. When we arrived, Sera tried to stop us and I-” Kyungsoo paused. “I pushed her in what I thought to be a light shove, but I had actually killed her and she died that night. I was really unaware of how weak humans are compared to demons. I never intended to do that. We searched everywhere for the boy but we never found him and Lucifer told us to give up on it after some time. He had Jongin as his primary heir anyway.”

Kyungsoo looked away, averting her gaze from Chanyeol’s. “I was really hoping you’re not that boy because if you are…I am the person who killed your mother even if it was accidental, I killed her. Lucifer didn’t punish me for it because he knew I’d punish myself for that. ”

Chanyeol could only look at Kyungsoo dumbfounded and confused, unable to form a response or reaction. He could be that boy, Sera and Lucifer’s son, and at the same time he also couldn’t be. Chanyeol didn't know what to do.

 

 


	13. Almost at the fork point

 

“Well, okay then.” Chanyeol finally managed to muster a reply.

“Are you not mad at me?” Kyungsoo inquired.

Chanyeol explained, “I’m not sure how I feel about it but I know I’m not mad.”

Kyungsoo was now looking at Chanyeol with doe eyes. She had been hoping for the worst.

“I mean- I could be that boy but at the same time I also could not be. If she’s not my mother, I feel bad for her son but I can’t mourn her either. Even if Lee Sera is my mother, I hardly remember her and she tried to send me off to the Vatican branded as Lucifer’s son. That’s a shitty thing to do even if she was my mother. I work for the Vatican and I know what they do to demons. It’s not nice at all.” Chanyeol proudly announced. “It makes me even happier that you never found me that night Sera died, and I was adopted instead. The family I have now sounds way better. So…thank you, Kyungsoo.”

“I really feel bad for that. I’ve been afraid of approaching humans since then and didn’t want anything to do with them. I didn’t want to hurt them anymore and when I met you, you were so strong and it really changed how I see things.” Kyungsoo’s voice was choked and she sounded like she might cry anytime. “I kill for a living and I’ve killed a handful, but Sera’s death is not something I could ever forget.”

 

Chanyeol pulled them into a hug, Kyungsoo snuggling her face in Chanyeol’s chest, to hide the tears that were beginning to roll down her cheek and staining her glasses. Kyungsoo didn’t felt like she deserved to be with Chanyeol or his compassion or forgiveness.

“It’s too painfully obvious to pretend like I’m not Lucifer’s son now. I think I’m slowly accepting that I am.” Chanyeol cleared his throat and quickly changed the topic, “So, do you want to get married now?”

“I haven’t thought about that.” Kyungsoo lifted her head from Chanyeol’s chest. “You do know we can’t get married legally anywhere though? I’m just running around the human world with a fake ID and you’d need to have your own papers in Hell for that to happen. ”

“We’ll just have a church wedding then.” Chanyeol realized what he said. “-oops, I’m sorry. I forgot you’re a demon again.”

“I thought you couldn’t get married, and would any priest even want to officiate a wedding for a demon?”

“We’ll just run away and get married in a foreign country where no one knows who we are.” Chanyeol laughed, slightly joking, although it did seem like a serious consideration at the time. “Who needs the church to approve of us anyway? Do you want to be my wife, Kyungsoo?”

“Are you sure about that? I mean- I do want to but I don’t want you to do anything you’ll regret later. I’d feel bad if you decided that you do not want to be together with me anymore. Do you know what you’re getting into?” Kyungsoo was anything but confident of herself in that moment. “I’ve been also married once and my ex breathes down my neck still. Also, I have a son older than you, and-“Kyungsoo gulped. “-I am a demon, from Hell and everything.”

Chanyeol reached his hand out to play with a strand of her hair beside Kyungsoo’s face. “I already know that and all of that doesn’t matter now. You’re a demon, Kyungsoo, and I’m fine with that now. You don’t have to pretend to be human just to please me. You just be you and that’s enough for me. You’re Kyungsoo, the demon, after all.”

Kyungsoo was left speechless. This was easier than she thought it to be. She already had an escape plan in mind to run down the snowy mountain in case Chanyeol decided to exorcise her after the revelation she had dropped. It would hurt her more emotionally but it was not like she could choose to be human.

Kyungsoo had to announce it now. She couldn’t stop herself now. “Chanyeol, I know this may not be the right time, but I’m not sure if there ever will be a right time. I love you.”

There was a moment of silence before Chanyeol replied, “I love you too, Kyungsoo.” With that being said, Chanyeol gently kissed Kyungsoo on the forehead.

Kyungsoo began to cry, not that she was sure whether it was from relief or happiness or perhaps even sorrow at the difficulty they might continue to face. Kyungsoo’s tears were warm against the cold air and her cold skin.

Chanyeol began to worry that he had might actually done something wrong to make Kyungsoo cry, as she wasn’t a crier to begin with. “Kyungsoo, are you alright?”

Kyungsoo nodded through her sobs, wiping off her tears and snot with her gloved hand. “I’m alright. It’s okay. I don’t even know why I feel like this.”

Chanyeol held Kyungsoo in his arms, hugging her tightly. “It’s alright.” Chanyeol repeated over and over, assuring her until she stopped crying and felt better.

Chanyeol wasn’t sure if things were alright, but for her sake he would try to make things alright at least.

 

As the day got dark, Chanyeol and Kyungsoo slowly made their way down the snowy path back to the room they were staying in at the resort. It was dinner time and they chose to have dinner at the resort’s café besides a large window that overlooked the mountain scenery below. Chanyeol had made sure the place they stayed in had a vegetarian menu.

Chanyeol had ordered a steak and was slicing his way through it when he remembered about something to ask. “If we’re going to get married, I’d like to meet your family first and talk to them about it.”

“Sure, why not. We can arrange that.” Kyungsoo mentioned as she sipped her tea.

“So, who do I have to talk to about it?” Chanyeol reached for the bowl to pour more gravy onto his steak.

Kyungsoo began counting with her fingers. “There’s mom, uncle, my son Sehun and Baekhyun. Just the four of them I think, and you’ve met my uncle and Baekhyun already. Baekhyun is not related to me but we’ve been friends since we were in the military academy so she’s like a sister to me.”

“Yeah I think that should be alright. I’m sorry to ask but what about your father?” Chanyeol added. “Kris did say something about him walking out on you, do you still contact him?”

“No I do not, so you don’t have to see him. He does not even claim to be my father. When I was born with black hair, it caused a large stir in Hell and he didn’t want to be involved, so he left and disowned me. He never claimed I was his daughter.” Kyungsoo was looking out the window with her chin propped up on her palm. “My hair is a curse, but they only let me live this long to benefit them.”

Chanyeol was about to put his fork to his mouth and chew a chunk of steak, when Kyungsoo mentioned that. Chanyeol placed his fork down on the plate and out of concern asked, “Let you live? What were they going to do to you?”

Kyungsoo circled her index finger on the mouth of her tea cup, “Have me executed or throw me out of Hell, probably the former I think. But they discovered that I possess the angel traits that demons originally had too, before we defected from Hell and lost it. So, they just want to use me now.”

Chanyeol gulped, “What is it?” It felt like he had opened a can of worms by asking her that, but he thought it was better to know still.

“Angels are immortal-sort of. They have an ability to use their life energy to create a large burst of energy which can level the area around them, depending on how strong they are. When an angel expends their life energy, they die and are reborn immediately in Heaven again. When humans die, their soul either goes to Hell or Heaven, and some do get stuck in between and get called ghosts or spirits. When demons die, we are reborn as humans and given a chance to then maybe do some good as a human and maybe go to Heaven. God is merciful and tried to help us since we were his people too before, and it’s the only way a demon’s soul can achieve salvation.”

Kyungsoo continued “-but a lot of us end up going back to Hell and we recruit them again, and that’s how we can maintain our large population despite low birth rates. Demons outnumber angels by a lot because they don’t breed as much as demons do because they can hardly die. That wasn’t always the case.”

Chanyeol swallowed, “You mean all the demons we exorcise are reborn as humans? –and they just go back to Hell again when they die as a human?”

“Most of the time, that’s the case.” Kyungsoo answered, putting both hands on the table.

Chanyeol laughed dryly. “All these time and I only found out now. That’s what I’ve been doing all this time.” Chanyeol shook his head, laughing and pressing his fingers to his temple. Sitting up straight, Chanyeol regained his composure and continued, “I’m sorry…so you mean they want you to die?”

“I’m demon so I’ll die for sure. Hell is going to war soon and they want to use me as a weapon, as a walking living breathing bomb.” Kyungsoo hid the fact that Hell also wanted Chanyeol for his own ability. Kyungsoo had a choice to turn him in and spare herself, or the reverse. Kyungsoo had decided that she will never do that, not in this life or the next. Kyungsoo would rather die a happy woman knowing she loved and was loved by Chanyeol, than to live to her old age knowing she had killed the man she loved. Kyungsoo would never be able to forgive herself.

Chanyeol reached his hand out across the table to hold Kyungsoo’s into his, intertwining their fingers with each other. “I won’t let them do that to you. We’ll think of something- we’ll run away together to a new place and get married and have children if you want.”

Kyungsoo smiled weakly, knowing the impending doom waiting her, “Yes we will.” Kyungsoo was lying not only to Chanyeol but also to herself.

Kyungsoo picked up her fork to take a slice of Chanyeol’s meat from his plate.

Chanyeol saw this and tried to stop her. “Kyungsoo, that’s meat!” He almost panicked, pulling back her fork.

“It’s okay. Suddenly I just feel like I had to have it and I don’t know why.” Kyungsoo shrugged and chewed onto the meat. “It’s good. I should order this too.”

 

 

Chanyeol sat on the edge of the bed facing the window and balcony, overlooking the snowy landscape below. Kyungsoo sat beside him, head resting his shoulder and hands touching each other.

“I think that means we’re engaged now.” Chanyeol happily mentioned.

“We are, I guess.” Kyungsoo chuckled.

Chanyeol announced, “I’m glad it’s you. I love you.”

“I love you too.” Kyungsoo lifted herself up to kiss Chanyeol on the lips.

 

Chanyeol reciprocated the kiss, gently supporting Kyungsoo’s head by placing his hands at her nape. Chanyeol lightly bit onto Kyungsoo’s lower lip, till he could feel the warm air of her breath on him.

With steamy lustful eyes under the dim lighting, Chanyeol and Kyungsoo locked each other into their gaze, their dark eyes reflecting the other.

“I want you, Kyungsoo.” Chanyeol breathily spoke, before gently nipping on the thin skin around her neck.

“I want you too.” Kyungsoo replied, moving up further on the bed where Chanyeol followed her.

 

Lips locked into each other and kneeling on the bed as they helped each other undress, Kyungsoo gently pushed Chanyeol onto the bed, laying him down on the soft duvet. Kyungsoo took off her glasses and placed it on the night stand before tying her hair up with a rubber band.

“Let me do this.” Kyungsoo announced as she helped Chanyeol remove his shirt and boxers, springing his limp dick free from the confines of the clothing. Kyungsoo herself was still in her black bra and mismatched blue underwear.

Kyungsoo bent down to kiss Chanyeol’s well formed hip bone, before moving her face lower to his nether regions. Chanyeol couldn’t help but laugh. He didn’t think it was funny but was more overwhelmed by the surging rush of emotions he felt. This wasn’t the first time and Kyungsoo was honestly used to it.

When Kyungsoo breathed warm hair and gently handled Chanyeol’s member into her hands, Chanyeol hissed from the sensation and covered his face with his hands. Kyungsoo took the urge to lightly suck on a vein on Chanyeol’s length. Chanyeol was circumcised, as is usual among Korean males, and therefore missing his foreskin making him extra sensitive to touch.

Kyungsoo pumped her hand several times on his length as she continued to suck on bits of flesh along his now hard and erect dick. Chanyeol’s eyes were shut, and he was pushing his hips down onto the bed to avoid his hips from thrusting into the air. Chanyeol had one hand gently placed on Kyungsoo’s hair when she took his entire length into her mouth, hollowing her cheeks and sucking on it.

Chanyeol placed the back of his free hand onto his mouth to muffle his grunts and moans which came out sounding like a whine. Chanyeol had a rather deep raspy voice, and it sounded exceptionally high and shrilly for once when he was heightened by pleasure.

Kyungsoo hummed and made sure to swipe the head of Chanyeol’s erection with her tongue whenever she came up. Kyungsoo’s hand covered whichever length her mouth couldn’t cover. She could tell Chanyeol was close when his hips began quivering and his thighs tensing up. Knowing Chanyeol would be done for the night if he managed to came, Kyungsoo released him from her mouth. Chanyeol whined at the loss of the sensation and his erection hitting the cold air, a contrast from Kyungsoo’s warm mouth.

Chanyeol sat himself up, using the strength in his abdomen to push himself into a sitting position. Chanyeol then helped Kyungsoo unclasp her bra as he ran a finger along the slit of her damp underwear, before helping her with removing that too.

Kyungsoo pushed Chanyeol back down onto the bed, as she skillfully straddled his thighs. “You didn’t happen to bring the condoms did you?”

Chanyeol shook his head. “Nope”

“I’m starting to see a pattern here with the both of us.” Kyungsoo shrugged. “-but I’m horny as fuck now. Are you okay with this?”

“Go ahead, my dear.” Chanyeol smiled from below, urging her. “Things might get messy when we get back and I want us to spend all this time together as we can.”

 

With that being said, Kyungsoo took a hold of Chanyeol’s erection as she slowly stroked it, guiding it to her entrance. Kyungsoo had her back facing Chanyeol as he received a nice view of her toned butt. Slowly and almost excruciatingly, Kyungsoo lowered herself onto Chanyeol’s throbbing member until she had taken his entire length into her.

Kyungsoo leaned her head on her shoulder and sighed. Before Kyungsoo could begin moving, Chanyeol had pulled her down by the hips and laid her on the bed on her side. Kyungsoo grunted but let Chanyeol lead anyway.

Chanyeol had slipped out from inside Kyungsoo from the movements and change in position. Chanyeol too proceeded to lie down on his side so he could spoon Kyungsoo, where he could feel her body pressed against his closely and intimately. He lifted Kyungsoo’s leg and she helped by folding it, pressing it to her chest while he held the leg it still. Chanyeol kissed her on the neck before guiding his erection slowly into her from behind.

Chanyeol slowly thrusted, guided by his hips in a rhythmic pace, burying his face in Kyungsoo’s hair and moaning against her black locks. Kyungsoo too played her part by gently grinding her back against Chanyeol to meet his thrusts and match his rhythm.

 

Kyungsoo made sure to be vocal about how good Chanyeol made her felt and occasionally urged him to go faster or deeper. Chanyeol didn’t want to be that fast and preferred to take things slow tonight. From the position, Chanyeol was able to put a hand on Kyungsoo’s clit, thumbing the sensitive organ as she guided and told him where the sensation felt best. Their breathings were out of sync but their bodies were one with each other.

Kyungsoo bit her lower lip and threw her head back against Chanyeol when she felt her orgasm nearing, moaning with her lower lip shut. Chanyeol maintained the speed and rhythm of his thrusts so she could reach her peak without disruption as it clearly did work in getting her there.

Kyungsoo’s body shook and trembled when she came. Chanyeol hugged her tightly from behind, planting kisses on her neck as it happened, feeling her tense and clamp down on his erection tighter. Chanyeol could feel her heart beating from the pulse on her skin, and her breathing slowly evening out as she came down from her high.

Chanyeol followed shortly later, spilling his seed within Kyungsoo. Chanyeol was quieter but did groan when the wave of pleasure hit him. Chanyeol pulled out of Kyungsoo and flipped her to face him on the other side, hugging her now from the front.

Kyungsoo thanked Chanyeol and he did the same, resting his sweaty forehead against hers. “I won’t let anyone take you away from me.”

That winter came on the records for being one of the coldest in history. It was cold and snowing outside, but it was warm in their hearts and bodies surrounded by each other’s company.

 

 

For the first time in a while that night, Chanyeol dreamt again. But this time, it seemed like he was dreaming of the past instead of the future again.

Chanyeol was a child in the dream, he did not know how old he was or how long ago it was but he knew that fact. It was snowing outside and the child Chanyeol could see that from the window. He was in a cozy drawing room, sitting on a large pillow by the fireplace. The same tune from the organ played by Kris was heard in the room, but this time it came from a piano.

There was another boy sitting beside Chanyeol near the fireplace. He looked older around nine or ten years old, and was busy reading a book. The boy had light brown hair which looked almost blond. The boy looked at Chanyeol momentarily but returned to his book.

Chanyeol saw Kris behind the piano working his skillful fingers on the keys. He was dressed simply in a sweater and pants compared to the formal wear he usually wore. Kris noticed Chanyeol and smiled to him. “Do you want me to teach you to play this one day?”

Before Chanyeol could answer, Kyungsoo walked into the room and leant against the piano. Chanyeol couldn’t hear what they were talking about.

Kris excused himself to leave and Chanyeol was left alone in the room with Kyungsoo. She smiled at Chanyeol. Kyungsoo’s hair was shorter but looked the same as she did now; she hadn’t aged a day since then.

The other boy went up to Kyungsoo and greeted her as “mother”. Kyungsoo ruffled his hair as she smiled and turned her attention to Chanyeol. Kyungsoo greeted Chanyeol and called him by a name he thought he would never hear again.

 

 

Coming back from their winter holiday five days later, Kyungsoo sure enough found the envelope in Chanyeol’s mailbox with the name of the testing lab company printed in large blue font on the front. Chanyeol carefully shut the door to his apartment behind him, feeling wary and making sure no one followed them. Chanyeol just felt cautious.

“Well, should we open it then?” Kyungsoo held the envelope in her hands between herself and Chanyeol.

“I don’t think we should.” Chanyeol suggested.

“Why not? I thought you wanted to know.” Kyungsoo was surprised at Chanyeol’s reaction who took the envelope into his hands instead.

Chanyeol declared, “Because I am Astaroth or Lee Chanyeol, the son of Lucifer begotten from a human. I am a half-demon and I remember now, Kyungsoo.”

 

 

At the same time, in the meeting chamber of the Holy Cross Order within the St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, Lu Han was sitting and grinning at a table surrounded by the higher ups of the order.

A man announced, “We are pleased to accept your donations and contribution to the Order. As you are now are the highest bidder for our support, we will do as you say and remove our connections with the Faulstich family. We will no longer support that family and our exorcists are free to hunt them as they please. We will send out the other soon.”

Lu Han confidently responded, “Good. Please get Kris’ niece too and make her your capture priority. She’s the one with black hair and she’s the biggest pain in the ass in her family. That bitch.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was supposed to go with chapter 12 but omg I do not want to post an almost 7k words chapter anymore, so I had to split it into two. I did that with another fic I'm working on and I figuratively died after three chapters. I went through the list of fics on AFF with my calculator and found out the average chapter length is 1.5k-2.5k. Chapters seem to be longer on AO3 and here I've been trying to set a 3k words goal with this fic every chapter. Oh man. 
> 
> also please practice safe sex.


	14. No more goodbyes

 

“Well that’s not so bad. At least he didn’t turn out to be your long lost brother because then that would make things really weird.” Baekhyun laughed. “I told you he always seemed- different. Who ever thought he’d be that too.”

“I never thought of that.” Kyungsoo responded. “I think that would be too uncomfortable.”

Kyungsoo could only look away at the unwelcomed thought Baekhyun had invoked. She thought she was certainly too old to be facing an existential crisis. Then again, Jongin had constantly claimed that Kyungsoo was facing a quarter-millennium crisis, and was insistent on believing that now that she had gotten herself a boyfriend even younger than her own son. Kyungsoo was just glad Jongin hadn’t found out Chanyeol is his half-brother.

Kyungsoo was back in Hell at her own place telling Baekhyun of what she had recently discovered about Chanyeol, or at least what he had said he knew. The real contents of the DNA testing results were left untouched and unread, thrown into the trash and long sent for disposal. Chanyeol had said it wouldn’t be needed because he finally remembered his past, and why he had forgotten about it in the first place. Kyungsoo took his word and didn’t believe he would lie to her especially about something that could even jeopardize his own position.

 

Baekhyun teased Kyungsoo of being in a relationship with a brother of her ex-husband. Baekhyun was right at least, Chanyeol didn’t turn out to be some long lost brother of hers because that would be catastrophic to say the least.

Kyungsoo refused to tell Jongin of the news and kept it between herself, Baekhyun and Kris. Kyungsoo did not trust anyone else as they would surely turn him in, and she didn’t want Chanyeol to receive his impending fate if she did so. Kyungsoo had refrained from telling Sehun of the truth because he would then have to hold a secret from Jongin, who wouldn’t react very well to it. Even though her relationship with Jongin was strained, she didn’t want it be the same way with Sehun.

 

Despite the revelation, things seemed okay and nothing was off. There were restless nights and anxious episodes where they feared the truth would prevail one day and the bliss they had attained would come crushing down. Doubt and fear stuck like a plague but Chanyeol and Kyungsoo believed that as long as they had each other, they would find a way around it.

Nothing seemed to change at all, and it felt like but it was good for only so long.

 

 

January came and went. February marked that it had almost been a month since Kyungsoo and Chanyeol had been trying to hide his real identity. Chanyeol lost the motivation in his job, but he still loved the religion even if he couldn’t fully agree on what it dictated. Chanyeol only stuck to keep a normal façade and not arise any suspicion if he were to suddenly leave the Order.

Working for the Vatican and the Order was a life time commitment thing. Hardly anyone ever resigned from their post or left it. Everyone retired and ended their lives still loyal to the church. Chanyeol couldn’t do that now. He did still love that the religion taught people to forgive, be compassionate and assist others. There was the good but there were the bad too.

If Chanyeol were to fully side with the demons, they were about the same thing. There were good demons and bad demons too. No side was void of evil no matter how holy their cause is and if it came down to that, Chanyeol would just have to choose the lesser evil between the two.

 

 

Chanyeol still had to take the subway to work and back, as it still snowed occasionally. His bicycle had been sitting untouched for about two months now but spring would come soon, and he would get to use it again then. Chanyeol honestly was waiting for that moment.

One particularly snowy and dark evening, Chanyeol was walking slowly along the slippery frozen side walk path to get the train station, when he heard the rumble of a car engine approaching him and pulling over by the curb. Chanyeol was hugging himself with his arms to generate more warmth. He felt colder than usual.

Chanyeol looked to see that the vehicle was familiar, it was Jongdae’s.

Jongdae wound down the window and leant over, “Hey, Chanyeol. Do you want a ride?”

Jongdae never called Chanyeol by his given name while they were at work. Hearing it now, made the situation seemed casual, like they were actually good friends. Chanyeol admitted that outside of work, he barely even knew Jongdae personally and was slightly ashamed of that fact.

“Yeah, sure.” Chanyeol didn’t want to seem rude and thought that it might not hurt to get a ride. Jongdae knew where he lived anyway.

Chanyeol got into the passenger seat and Jongdae locked the door controls shut, smiling at Chanyeol as he switched the gear and began to drive.

“Thank you, sunbaenim.” Chanyeol mentioned as he fastened his seatbelt on.

“You can just call me by my name. We’re the same age after all.” Jongdae explained.

“We are?” Chanyeol always assumed Jongdae was at least a few years elder than he was.

Jongdae nodded, eyes and concentration fixed on the road. “I’ve been a clergyman since I was 15 though so I guess you can call me sunbaenim for that. You only started after high school didn’t you?”

“You do know a lot about me don’t you?” Chanyeol was being inquisitive.

“How could I not when you’re the son of Lucifer.” Jongdae answered with a straight face.

 

Chanyeol’s mind began to race. This was it he thought. He no longer cared how Jongdae knew about all that, but only cared about how he was going to escape the situation. Jongdae was driving normally, and even his facial expression showed like it was nothing.

Chanyeol was thinking of an escape plan. He would just have to do what the actors did in action movies and jump out of a moving car. Then, he would go get Kyungsoo and run into the hills with her. Chanyeol thought this was probably the end of his priesthood career as he known it to be. It came sooner than he had expected.

Chanyeol noticed the route Jongdae was taking. It was certainly not the one back to his apartment. Chanyeol now frantically tried to pry the locked car door open. Jongdae only glanced over for a moment but continued driving like it was normal, not taking heed to Chanyeol’s anxious episode.

When Chanyeol realized his efforts were futile, he decided to use persuasion as his last tactic. Demons were masters at persuasion and he thought that he maybe had that in him, or not.

“-sunbaenim, I mean uh…Jongdae. Can we talk about this please? I-“, Chanyeol was stuttering and he was left speechless not knowing what to say to save himself. He really didn’t have that art of persuasion in him after all.

Chanyeol’s heart was racing. He could feel his own pulse against his skin and the blood flowing in his ears, which left a ringing sound and made him slightly dizzy. Chanyeol was about to probably just try and reach over Jongdae’s driver seat, and probably fight him to unlock the door controls before jumping out on the road.

 

Chanyeol changed his mind when he saw where they had arrived at. It was the orphanage he was sent to and lived at for a year, before he was adopted by the Park family, his family now. 

Jongdae drove through the gate and pulled up at the parking lot right in front of the administrative building.

“What are we doing here? I thought you wanted to kill me?” Chanyeol asked, dumbfounded.

Jongdae turned off the engine, unlocking the door and taking his seatbelt off. “On the contrary, we are actually trying to help you which is why I brought you here. There’s something you should know now that you discovered you’re half demon.”

“We? Help?” Chanyeol was very confused. “What should I know?”

“Everything”, Jongdae answered nonchalantly, getting out the car and beckoning for Chanyeol to follow him.

 

This was a good opportunity for Chanyeol to run away should he choose to do so, but his instincts were telling him to trust Jongdae and whatever he had in store as a revelation. Chanyeol’s curiosity and desire to know piqued him, and buried the feeling of fear he initially had. Chanyeol’s body moved as if on autopilot, without him really putting mind.

Chanyeol followed silently behind Jongdae into the orphanage, passing through the familiar doors and old hallways. Chanyeol’s memory was fuzzy but he remembered growing up there for a short time. His memory was more like scattered puzzle pieces, he remembered several bits here and there and just needed to assemble it all together to complete the picture.

Chanyeol followed Jongdae all the way to a small quaint looking office room where a rather youthful looking man dressed in casual clothing was waiting for them, looking rather happy and joyful.

“You must be Park Chanyeol”, the smaller man shook Chanyeol’s hand and smiled. “I’m Minseok. I am the current director of this orphanage.” Minseok laughed, “Just the director-in-acting though since the actual one, my father, is overseas.”

“Yes, I am Park Chanyeol. Hello.” Chanyeol responded, shaking Minseok’s hand, as he was clueless of what was going on around him.

Jongdae sat on a brown sofa pushed against the wall across from Chanyeol and Minseok, crossing his leg over the other. “I think you can tell him already, Minseok.”

“Tell me what?” Chanyeol hoped he would get to find out.

“Here, sit down.” Minseok pulled out a chair at the other side of his desk, beckoning Chanyeol to come over.

Chanyeol did as he was told. Minseok didn’t sit down but remained standing beside him and spoke in a low voice, “So, you remember that you’re a half-demon now?”

Chanyeol simply nodded.

“Well, that makes it easier for us. We were just waiting for the right time to tell you and since you know that, we can get straight to the point.” Minseok explained.

Chanyeol bombarded Minseok for questions, “I’m sorry but who is this ‘we’ you speak of? Also, how do you know I’m half-demon and Jongdae said something about helping me? What is this all about?”

Minseok replied, “Jongdae and I are actually members of the Black Order. You must have heard about us; that we’re the long running enemies of the Vatican and we’ve been branded as pagans and devil worshippers all along history.”

 

Chanyeol knew about this. The Black Order was found hundreds of years ago as a counterpart to the Holy Cross Order. The Black Order was founded by former Catholic priests who condemned the inhumane and unfair treatment of demons, especially innocent ones who were subject to ill torture for simply existing. Due to advocating for demons, the Black Order was branded as a group of Satanists who have deviated from God’s path.

The Black Order’s activities began silencing down thirty years ago and it was thought that they had disbanded. Chanyeol never once thought of it, as it was something that was only big in a time before he was even born and thought to be extinct now.

 

Chanyeol turned to Jongdae who looked away. “Jongdae?”, Chanyeol hoped Jongdae would be able to come up with an answer.

“What?” Jongdae retorted. “That surprised you? I was only assigned to start watching over you the past year when you were posted in Seoul.”

Minseok placed a hand on Chanyeol’s shoulder to get his attention again.

Minseok clarified. “We are people who love our religion too but cannot agree with the secret backdoor dealings of the Holy Cross Order, which is why we choose to go against them. They claim to hate demons, but at the same time receive funding from demons too and play favorites-

Chanyeol cut Minseok off by interjecting, “Okay, if that’s the case then why do you need me? Also you haven’t answered my question.”

Minseok revealed, “Your birth mother actually already called the Archbishop of the Order to inform them of your existence as the child of Lucifer. We have spies still in the Vatican pretending to be priests and exorcists, just like Jongdae is now. One of them intercepted the phone call, and my father and a few others kidnapped you from your mother the same night. My father ran this orphanage and we put you here for a year until we found a good family to adopt you. Your family doesn’t know you’re a half-demon though. Only we do.”

 

Chanyeol was stunned to hear Minseok’s revelation. His memories were slowly being pieced together now. It was like he finally had that last missing piece of the puzzle to finally put everything back together again.

He now remembered that snowy night he was kidnapped. He remembered playing with his favorite dinosaur set toys and being carried out the room by some unknown men, not understanding what was going on. The child Chanyeol wasn’t much to question and frankly thought he was a pretty dumb kid to being with. After all, his mother often left him with a bunch of strange people who claimed to be his family from Hell, and Chanyeol remembered one was always different from the others because she was the only one with black hair.

Chanyeol remembered being carried by the men out of his home into the cold snowy night, into the bushes and forest nearby. There were loud noises coming from his house. As Chanyeol was being taken away through the cover of the forest, the last thing he saw in the distance was his mother falling off the balcony to her death.

Chanyeol suffered post traumatic stress disorder from being kidnapped and watching his mother die, causing him to suffer memory loss from the first few years of his life. Chanyeol was slowly remembering it now.

 

Chanyeol felt dazed and grabbed back the hand Minseok touched him with on the shoulder, surprising Minseok.

Before Chanyeol could say anything, Jongdae spoke, “I found out that you already knew you were half-demon when I saw you hanging around those two demons at the Christmas service. You wouldn’t be caught being so friendly with demons otherwise. I recognize those two as so called ‘Vatican officials’ but I know they’re really the ones funding the church. Not anymore though.”

“Not anymore?” Chanyeol didn’t understand Jongdae.

Jongdae clarified, “Last I heard from our spy, the Faulstich family has been outbid by another demon. So the Faulstich are open season for hunting by the exorcists now. I imagine the Vatican wants to get rid of their dealings with them, so they’ll be up high on target list.”

“Faulstich?” Chanyeol recognized the name he saw on Kyungsoo’s name tag in a dream, which he had thought to be her real name.

“That’s their family name, the one of the two demons you were with. I think they’re uncle and niece if I’m not mistaken.” Jongdae replied.

“Why are you telling me all of this? “ Chanyeol honestly didn’t even know that was Kyungsoo’s family’s name. He had never asked and she never told either.

Jongdae answered, “We want you to join us. We won’t force you if you do not want to, but things just do not look nice in the Vatican, especially for someone in your position. If the Vatican manages to identify you as the half-demon they’re looking for, you’ll be treated the same like all the demons you’ve been handling.”

Minseok added, “We won’t make you do anything drastic yet. Keeping up appearances is important like what I’ve been doing. So, you can actually continue your life as usual, but if anything happens and the Order does sniff you out, we will have you covered.”

Chanyeol was wary. “How can I trust that you’re any better?”

“You don’t have to trust us. You will because we’re your only choice.” Jongdae said the words that basically sealed off the deal for them.

 

 

Chanyeol did not have a choice at all. Unwillingly, he agreed to side with Jongdae and Minseok who claimed that the Black Order was pretty active and had a large base in Italy, so they could be close to the Vatican seat. Chanyeol wondered if he just probably signed his death letter for that.

Jongdae dropped off Chanyeol back at his apartment as he bade goodbye with an expressionless face, walking up the stairs and down the hallway only thinking of getting back to Kyungsoo and finding comfort in her.

Chanyeol immediately smiled when he saw Kyungsoo walking up to the door and hugging him. All of Chanyeol’s worries dissipated when he was with her. This was what it meant for him to be in love. Even if the world was ending outside, all was fine when he had Kyungsoo.

Kyungsoo could tell that something was wrong. “Chanyeol, are you alright?”

Chanyeol was still standing in the doorway, his head leaning on Kyungsoo’s shoulder. “Let’s run away tomorrow. I’m not sure where to go first but we’ll think of it as it goes along. Then we’ll get married somewhere in some other religion that will accept us.”

“Chanyeol, something is wrong isn’t it? You know can tell me.” Kyungsoo began to feel worried.

“I’m fine. I just don’t want anyone to hurt you. I’m afraid the Vatican will come for you and-“, Chanyeol lied straight through his teeth as he lifted his head up to look into Kyungsoo’s eyes. Chanyeol wasn’t fine. He still wasn’t sure as to how to tell her about Jongdae and Xiumin and the Black Order.

“I’ll be alright, Chanyeol. You don’t have to worry. I’m more worried about you.” Kyungsoo caressed Chanyeol’s cheek.

Chanyeol suggested, “Just run away with me please. We’ll leave tomorrow, okay?”

“I have something important with work tomorrow. How about the day after tomorrow?” Kyungsoo answered with a soft reassuring smile.

“Promise me?” Chanyeol picked up both of Kyungsoo’s hands from her side, to hold it into his own hands.

“I promise.” Kyungsoo honestly answered.

Chanyeol hugged Kyungsoo tight, muttering against her ear, “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

 

 

Chanyeol didn’t dream that night. It took him a while before he fell asleep, watching over Kyungsoo as she slept peacefully. He wanted to make sure she was safe and sound, before fatigue washed over him and sleep too came for him. They did sleep safely and soundly that night.

The next morning, Chanyeol made a lettuce and tomato sandwich for Kyungsoo, but he noticed her eyeing his ham sandwich. Chanyeol offered it to her, and she finished it very fast before it made her feel like throwing up. Kyungsoo only attributed it to eating too hastily and upsetting her stomach.

Chanyeol began to suspect something, even if he hadn’t thought of it earlier. Seated with Kyungsoo at the table, Chanyeol asked, “Kyungsoo, when was the last time you got your period?”

“Oh shit. I think I missed January.” Kyungsoo slowly began to realize as she burped, and it made her feel nauseous again.

“Is that normal?” Chanyeol wasn’t too certain himself.

Kyungsoo explained, “Yeah, when I’m stressed I miss my period sometimes. You don’t think I’m pregnant are you? Well it’s worth a shot to try I think.”

Chanyeol had to ask, “Do those testing kits for pregnancy work on demons too?”

“Yes. We actually import that to use in Hell too. You humans are geniuses when it comes to inventions like that.” Kyungsoo replied, reaching for the ham slices and bread to make more for herself.

“I’ll get you a few when I come back from work this evening.” Chanyeol offered.

“Sure. I just might be slightly late tonight.” Kyungsoo added.

“It’s okay. I’ll wait for you.” Chanyeol smiled. He wasn’t too worried this time.

 

As usual, Chanyeol kissed Kyungsoo before he left for work, reminding her to be safe and to have a good day. Chanyeol thought this would be the last time as he had planned to elope with Kyungsoo the next day. They would be together every day from here on. There would be no more goodbyes he hoped.

Chanyeol would later curse himself for not asking Kyungsoo where her work took her today, and for assuming she would be okay just because he was used to her being as strong as she was.

 

 

Kyungsoo and Kris arrived at the Holy Cross Order’s headquarters in the Vatican very early, even before the break of dawn. It was around late noon in Seoul at the same time. That was their job today. They were going to re-negotiate their terms with the Order, after they were informed of being outbid by Lu Han. Their underlying aim was to probably lure Lu Han out and capture him.

Kris suspected something was off and had arranged for a Hell Gate to be opened just outside the Vatican enclave, so they could run off if things went south for them.

 

Kris proved himself to be right when during the meeting, the Archbishop of the Order ordered them to be captured and sentenced to death. Being right in an exorcist headquarters put them at a great disadvantage, but Kris and Kyungsoo fought their way through. Kris and Kyungsoo refrained from killing humans until that day. Human blood was shed to defend themselves.

The headquarters was five floors beneath the St. Peter’s Basilica and they had to fight their way through the floors just to get through the gate, before sickness of being in a holy place took over them.

 

The duo managed to get out of the building and ran down the open courtyard in the sunrise to reach the enclave’s gate. It was the usually packed area where people gathered to see the Pope outside his balcony, which was quiet and deserted at this time of the day.

The sun was just beginning to show and they would still be alright for a little while. Kris had injured his left arm and his beige coat was drenched with blood; his own and otherwise. Kyungsoo was dressed in a black coat and the blood wasn’t that visible on hers, but it did show running on her face and neck. Kyungsoo had been stabbed in the chest by a silver knife and gritted her teeth through the pain, so she could run away and not hold Kris back.

The effects of silver poisoning soon caught up to Kyungsoo and she fell to the ground behind Kris, only halfway to the gate which was now in sight.

“Kyungsoo!” Kris turned to help her up as he saw black robed people of the Order catching up to them.

“Just go. Run!” Kyungsoo pushed Kris away, who tried to help her. Kyungsoo barely had the strength to get up as she placed a hand over where she had been stabbed.

Kris ignored Kyungsoo as he attempted to assist her, despite not having the strength in himself to do so. “I’m not leaving you. There is no way I’m letting you die before me.”

Kris would drag Kyungsoo to get her out of there if he had to. This was his fault he believed and there was no way he’d let anyone- his own family to say the least to suffer for it.

“You can still go. Run, you idiot of an uncle!” Kyungsoo cried out, her blood and tears spilling onto the ground.

 

Kris looked behind and saw that they were surrounded by exorcists without a chance of escaping. The gate was too far for them due to their injuries, but yet it wasn’t really that far. Kris hugged Kyungsoo tight, to shield her as he braced for what he thought would be his death. Kris and Kyungsoo shut their eyes, afraid to watch their impending fate. The final blow never came and suddenly everything fell silent.

“Looks like you two got yourselves into a pinch here.” A familiar voice spoke up.

Kris and Kyungsoo looked up to see Jongin and Baekhyun surrounded by the dead bodies of those who have hunted them.

“Jongin, what the fuck?” Kyungsoo mentioned before passing out on Kris’ lap.

 Baekhyun immediately rushed to attend to Kyungsoo, quickly picking her up and running towards to the Hell Gate. Jongin simply cracked his knuckles and stretched his neck from side to side, as Baekhyun brought Kyungsoo back to Hell to get her treated.

Kris slowly picked himself up, slightly wobbling and coming face to face with Jongin. “What have you done? You do know that Heaven w-“

Jongin arrogantly scoffed, “-won’t tolerate me killing humans? Well, they were the ones who came after us first and especially Kyungsoo. You do know I won’t let anyone hurt her.”

“Anyone but you, you mean?” Kris retorted mischievously, despite the current situation.

“Whatever, Kris. I’ll take this up to that damn Archangel Yixing if he dares penalize me for this. I am a Prince and he’s just God’s lackey.” Jongin firmly asserted himself.

 

 

Chanyeol stopped by a drugstore to get the pregnancy test kits he had promised, and arrived home pretty early. Kyungsoo had said she would be late, and Chanyeol had prepared dinner for her with two options in case she decided she wanted meat again.

Chanyeol honestly felt excited to know of the results and waited eagerly. Chanyeol heard the door knock around 9pm and opened it, hoping to find Kyungsoo but instead found a tired looking Baekhyun with puffy red eyes at the door.

“Baekhyun? What are you doing here? Where’s Kyungsoo?” Chanyeol was beginning to worry.

Baekhyun only sighed, unable to form her words as she began to cry and shake her head.

“Something happened to her, didn’t it?” Chanyeol was cold in his feet and suspected the worst from Baekhyun’s expression.

Baekhyun finally managed to speak after slightly regaining her composure. “Can you come with me to Hell? It’s Kyungsoo, she’s dying.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hate cliifhangers as much as you probably do but lord, I can't help myself. I'M SORRY


	15. A world for the both of us

Chanyeol quickly grabbed whichever coat he found hanging behind his door and hurriedly put on the closest socks and shoes he could get. Making sure to turn off the lights before leaving, Chanyeol pulled the scarf Kyungsoo had gifted him off from the hook and locked the door shut behind him. It was mid February and freezing cold inside, although Kyungsoo had mentioned it was spring still in Hell.

Chanyeol was anxious and on his toes. He was worried about Kyungsoo and wanted to believe Baekhyun was just exaggerating with her words. Chanyeol only hoped for the best and of the best possible scenario. He didn’t want to come to conclusions not until then.

Baekhyun brought him to the now quiet and dimly lit park opposite the apartment building Chanyeol lived in. Here, Chanyeol witnessed the Hell Gate for the first time in his life; the portal summoned by demons to travel back and forth from Hell into the human world.

Chanyeol had expected gloomy looking, heavy iron and brass doors illuminated by fire and brimstone. It had however turned out to be a set of stone doors with intricate carvings of texts in a script he couldn’t read or quite understand. Chanyeol may have remembered how to speak the demon language, but he was separated too young to remember and learn the writing.

 

“Follow me”, Baekhyun ushered Chanyeol through the door which seemed to open to face a stone brick wall.

Chanyeol did as told, with Baekhyun following shortly later.  The door vanished into thin air the moment Baekhyun passed through Chanyeol felt like he had taken a trip to another dimension, which he actually literally did. It was day time in Hell and was noticeably warmer than it was in Seoul. Chanyeol guessed it was around morning, since the day seemed gloomy still without a cloud in the sky. If Chanyeol’s calculations were any right, he guessed that Kyungsoo had actually been going to work when it was night time in Hell, just so she could be with him more often.

Chanyeol was in awe initially, even forgetting the dire situation he was in. Chanyeol found him in the back alley of an old street, with walls made of brick and a stone pavement. It was just him and Baekhyun on that street. Chanyeol felt like he had travelled a hundred years in the past and somehow landed in Europe. Chanyeol felt warmer now under his winter clothes in the spring in Hell.

“Wrap that scarf on your head.” Baekhyun instructed, pointing to the scarf Chanyeol had hastily swung around his neck. “You will attract attention with your hair color. People know about Kyungsoo but they don’t know you, so do that.”

Once again, without question, Chanyeol followed through and covered his head with it in the best attempt he could. Chanyeol ended up looking like a middle aged lady who was tending to her garden. The scarf made him feel even hotter and sweatier, but he couldn’t be bothered by that now.

 

Baekhyun led Chanyeol pass a few blocks and a street. There were people around this time and everyone was dressed in dull colors of black, white and grey. Hell really was a hundred years behind the human world it seemed. Cars and vehicles were nowhere to be seen, only horse drawn carriages and pedestrians populated the stone paved streets. Everyone wore formal suits and even the least dressed person Chanyeol saw was wearing a vest at least.

A few people shot judging glances at Chanyeol due to how awkwardly he was trudging around, but didn’t pay much heed towards it. Chanyeol noticed how thin the air was, giving him a slightly hard time breathing while speed walking down the streets with Baekhyun. Chanyeol began to felt dizzy and light headed, and was noticeable stalling behind Baekhyun.

“Are you alright? The hospital is just up ahead. The air here is thinner because we’re higher up and you might not be used to the atmosphere in Hell.” Baekhyun noted, turning behind to see Chanyeol falling back and leaning against a wall. “We can only open Hell Gates in public areas and not private ones, so that was the closest I could manage. Can you hold in there for a little bit more?”

“You should have said that earlier.” Chanyeol gasped, feeling his vision going dark. Chanyeol pinched the bridge of his nose and cursed under his breath. This wasn’t the time for him to falter. Chanyeol hated himself for being so weak even at a time like this. He had to be at Kyungsoo’s side.

Baekhyun was even worried looking at Chanyeol’s condition. “Chany-“

“I’m alright.” Chanyeol interrupted, forcing himself to stand up straight. “I can do this.”

 

Baekhyun nodded and they continued walking just another block down before they arrived at a large grey building. The interior of the building appeared more modern and up to date with the human world than the exterior landscape. It was like a modern hospital within a colonial building, and it seemed like there was electric supply too.

Chanyeol was almost out of breath when Baekhyun made him walk up several flights of stairs. After what seemed like forever, Baekhyun stopped at one floor where they walked down a well lit grey painted hallway with doors to separate rooms and lines of chairs outside the rooms.

One row of chairs outside a particular room seemed to be filled with sullen looking people dressed in either black or brown. Baekhyun slowly approached those people who greeted her and eyed Chanyeol stalling behind.

 

 

Chanyeol collapsed onto the nearest chair and was breathing irregularly still. His face was red from the blood flowing and his lungs felt like bursting at any moment. He was honestly surprised he hadn’t passed out yet.

“You’re supposed to breathe slowly and deeply.” Chanyeol felt a hand on his shoulder and heard a voice say and looked up to see a somewhat familiar looking young man dressed in a light brown coat telling him that. “You’ll get used to it.”

“Is that him?” Suho who was seating on the opposite chair asked to Baekhyun.

Baekhyun nodded and glanced over at Chanyeol while Sehun was trying to coach him on breathing.

“You are Chanyeol, right?” Sehun inquired, taking the seat beside Chanyeol. “I’m Sehun, Kyungsoo’s son. That is my grandmother, Suho, Kyungsoo’s mother.”

Suho only looked up momentarily before averting her gaze elsewhere.

“Oh”, Chanyeol gaped as he pulled the scarf off of his head, which he honestly thought make him look ridiculous now. No one there seemed to be fazed by the “difference” in Chanyeol’s hair color. “Where is Kyungsoo? Is she alright? How is she?” Chanyeol immediately asked, regaining the strength in his leg to stand up.

“She’s in there.” Sehun pointed to the room behind the door beside them. “We can’t visit her yet. We’ve been out here for almost five hours now ourselves. She was in a critical condition so we sent Baekhyun to go get you, but it seemed like her condition has stabilized since then.”

 

Chanyeol heaved a sigh of relief and when he calmed down from being on edge after hearing the news, he began to regain his breathing and awareness of the situation and surrounding. Chanyeol was actually in Hell right now, but it didn’t surprise him too much now. A year ago, he was a completely different man and wouldn’t have reacted very well to being brought to Hell, but now it hardly mattered anymore.

Chanyeol waited for what seemed like hours upon hours on that chair outside the hospital room. Chanyeol was impatient and restless while Sehun sat beside him patiently, legs crossed and arms folded over his chest. Sehun occasionally asked Chanyeol how he was doing, and if he needed anything. Chanyeol would assure that he was alright and fine, although he didn’t quite felt like it emotionally.

Several people who seemed like hospital staff occasionally walked by and talked to Suho and Baekhyun. Suho would nod and Baekhyun would only stare in silence. The staff would enter and leave the room every now and then, but no one except them were allowed to enter.

 

After a while of waiting, Baekhyun got up and offered to buy food and drinks for everyone with Sehun following her, leaving Suho and Chanyeol alone there. Chanyeol did try to talk to Suho, but she would only answer with grunts and just nod or shake her head. Suho wasn’t really trying to sustain the conversation and didn’t really seem to like Chanyeol that much. Chanyeol could very well see that.

“Umm…what is the time?” Chanyeol had tried to ask Suho, hoping that he could at least get a flow going and break the uncomfortable silent tension. Since Suho is Kyungsoo’s mother, Chanyeol wanted to get himself a good first impression at least.

Suho looked to the wrist watch on her left wrist, “11:34am.” Suho mumbled before falling silent and looking away from Chanyeol. Suho wasn’t eager to be talking to Chanyeol just yet.

Chanyeol was trying to calculate what time it was in Seoul, trying to figure out the time conversion. He hadn’t brought a watch with him and knew it was past 9pm when he left his house. Chanyeol estimated that he had been there for almost two hours and came to the conclusion that Hell was probably 12 hours ahead or behind the time in Seoul.

 

When Baekhyun and Sehun returned with several paper bags that smelled like food in their hands, they were followed by another man whom Chanyeol recognized as Kyungsoo’s ex-husband, the one she had called by the name, Jongin. Chanyeol sat up straight when Jongin approached them. Jongin shot a glance at Chanyeol before he began talking to Suho about Kyungsoo and when they could visit her.

 

Jongin and Suho were still talking very loudly to each other. Jongin was demanding to see Kyungsoo but Suho kept telling him that they weren’t allowed to do that until visitation hours started until 12pm, and to respect the regulations even though each of them there were eager to see Kyungsoo.

A hospital staff walked up to them in the midst of the confusion. Jongin now raised his voice and demanded to see Kyungsoo. No one else said anything as if seeing Jongin get angry or confrontational was a normal sight to behold.

 

In a swift movement, Jongin pushed away the staff member preventing them from seeing Kyungsoo and made his way into the room, opening the door. Chanyeol decided that it was chance to get up and see Kyungsoo. He was impatient himself but at least not blowing up like Jongin.

Chanyeol was about to step through the door when a silver-colored tray flew past his head and landed at the wall behind him, sending the contents falling onto the floor with it. Chanyeol saw Kyungsoo looking pale and tired sitting up on the hospital bed, hooked up to an IV drip and looking quite angry at Jongin, standing in front of Chanyeol.

“Get out of here, Jongin.” Kyungsoo yelled at Jongin before noticing Chanyeol standing behind him. Kyungsoo’s expression changed when she saw Chanyeol, from rage to that of fear. “Chanyeol, what are you doing here?”

Chanyeol explained, “Baekhyun brought me here. She said that you were-“

“I’m alright. I’m fine. You know Baekhyun can get pretty dramatic at times.” Kyungsoo immediately stated to clear the situation, not wanting Chanyeol to worry more.

Jongin added, “I don’t know why you withheld the truth from me, but this boy is obviously my half-brother.”

“Step the fuck out, Jongin. Leave me alone with Chanyeol.” Kyungsoo snapped at Jongin. Kyungsoo wasn’t always justifiable when it came to

“Fine”, Jongin surrendered backing away to the door and closing it. Jongin didn’t seem to want to be confrontational in front of everyone there.

 

Once it was just the both of them in the room, Chanyeol immediately rushed up to the bed side to Kyungsoo to embrace her into his arms. She was very much alive and present in the moment. Chanyeol worriedly asked, “Are you alright? They told me you were dying and Baekhyun was the one who said it was urgent and that I should see you.”

“I ‘was’ dying. I’m pretty much alive now and I think I am.” Kyungsoo answered in her usual sarcastic tone. “I’m alright. I was stabbed with a silver knife and it flowed into my bloodstream as is the case. I was almost going into a cardiac arrest but I was brought here in time. I should be able to heal normally now. Now that I think about it, it’s almost like the time you stabbed me with a spear off a building. Even with your subpar first aid skills to treat me at that time, I survived so I’ll live this time.”

Chanyeol broke away from the hug, sitting on the edge of the bed as he gently pushed Kyungsoo’s hair out of her eyes, tucking the black locks behind her ears. “I’m so sorry you had to go through that and now this. I’m glad you’re alright now. Who did this to you?”

Kyungsoo simply answered, “That would be _your_ people.”

“My people?”, Chanyeol questioned.

Kyungsoo explained, “I mean the Vatican of course. They’ve been bought over by our enemy and our family isn’t supported by them anymore. They issued an order to get rid of us so it doesn’t look like I’ll be returning to the human world anytime soon, whether I want to or not.”

 

Chanyeol was stunned. He was told about this by Jongdae and the round faced man, Minseok. They mentioned this. They had informed about this to Chanyeol even beforehand about Kyungsoo and her family in potential threat and danger from the Vatican. Chanyeol hated himself now. He could have stopped this and prevent Kyungsoo from being injured in the first place. Kyungsoo is the most important thing in his life, but even so Chanyeol felt like he failed to protect her at something he could have stopped by just telling her about it.

Instead, Chanyeol felt like he had been more focused and hung up over finding out why he had been displaced from his family from a dead mother who had gone mad and offered him up to be torture and later die. In fact, Chanyeol had actually been saved that night and everything that had happened to him led him to where he is today. Chanyeol was proud and happy to be at the point in his life now, although he knew now what he could fix and undo to make things right.

 

Chanyeol and Kyungsoo’s brief moment alone together was disturbed by Jongin bursting through the door with a paper in his hand and what looked like a nurse trying to get it back from him. Jongin pushed away the nurse sending her falling to the ground while Sehun tried to help her up. Suho was nowhere to be seen and Baekhyun was just popping her head by the door to see what was going on in the room.

“Chanyeol, you motherfucker! Explain this.” Jongin furiously held the paper right in front of Chanyeol’s face so he could read it.

“Jongin! Don’t you ever listen?” Kyungsoo sounded mad and hurt.

Chanyeol was sitting on the edge of Kyungsoo’s bed still. He turned to look once at Kyungsoo then at the paper and then Jongin. “I don’t read demon writing.”

“It’s my blood test results.” Kyungsoo revealed, reading at the paper too as she clicked her tongue. “They ran a HCG test at my request and from the results, it says I’m pregnant.”

“Is that what it says?” Sehun piped up from the back of the room, asking no one in particular.

“You did this didn’t you? I mean, who else could it be? How dare you, Chanyeol. First you turn out to be my bastard brother and now you get her pregnant. Do you know how much trouble you have caused?” Jongin ranted angrily at Chanyeol.

“She’s not your child, Jongin. She’s an adult who can do as she pleases without you controlling her. Who are you to be making decisions for her when she clearly doesn’t want you to do that. Can’t you see that? If you really cared for her, you’d leave her alone instead of breathing down her neck all the time like a leech.” Chanyeol raised his voice and stood up, taller than Jongin. Chanyeol wasn’t in any way backing down when it concerned Kyungsoo. Chanyeol barely knew Jongin outside from what Kyungsoo told him, but he already had enough of it. “Please leave, Jongin. You can talk to her later only if you have something good to say.”

 

Jongin only pushed the paper into Chanyeol’s chest and left the room, punching the wall beside the door and leaving a rather large crack in the wall at the same time. Baekhyun who heard about it from the commotion, also came rushing in with Sehun who began asking all type of questions, while the nurse was begging them to leave due to some visitor restriction limit and threatening to call security on them.

“Get out all of you. Except you, Chanyeol.” Kyungsoo firmly ordered with a clear stern voice. “Please. Can you give me a moment alone to talk?” Kyungsoo gritted her teeth and was clearly irritated, trying not to burst into anger herself.

The nurse silently thanked Kyungsoo for making everyone leave before she herself was ordered to leave.

 

“Ugh”, Kyungsoo sighed and cried out her frustration into her palms pressed to her face.

“So that confirms things doesn’t it?” Chanyeol mentioned, picking up the paper from the floor. “We’re expecting a baby.”

“I told the doctor to run a HCG test discreetly but it seems like Jongin heard about it and had to confront you for it. I didn’t want this whole thing to be sensationalized. I knew this would happen. I can’t even catch a break.” Kyungsoo complained, sounding very tired even by the tone of her voice.

Chanyeol assured, “It’s alright. It’ll be okay. I’m with you through this like I promised.”

Kyungsoo reasoned, “Do you want the child though? This might come off as a surprise to you considering that we’ve been together for not so long and you probably never even thought of having children due to your job.”

Chanyeol confidently stated, “I’m not backing out now unless you are, but if you do, I will understand. I won’t force you if that’s what you don’t want. I don’t want you to regret it later like my birth mother did. It’s not fair for the child.”

There was a slight pause before Kyungsoo replied, “I didn’t even think of this, honestly. I was denying that it would happen and gambling on those odds but you know, you get what you pay for after all.”

“Well, we did mess up there a bit.” Chanyeol admitted.

“A bit you say.” Kyungsoo dryly chuckled. “We just made another person if that’s what ‘a bit’ means to you.”

 

Chanyeol added, “I met your son out there-well I guess he’s also my nephew too, and he seemed nicer and composed than his father. I think you did a good job there. You did it once and you can do it again if you’d like.”

“Then what about you?”

“I’ll just learn to be a father then.” Chanyeol smiled. “I have to start somewhere.”

“This is my entire fault. I already made you break so many rules from your religion and now I’m about to turn you into a father.” Kyungsoo was beginning to doubt herself.

“I’m alright with that, but don’t just agree to keep the baby because I want to. You don’t have to accommodate me so much if it’s against your wishes.” Chanyeol mentioned.

Kyungsoo could only hang her head low and hold Chanyeol’s hand as she bit her lower lip and pondered her decision, and next plan of action.

 

“Take your time. Listen to yourself.” Chanyeol kissed Kyungsoo on the forehead before he left for that day.

It was too risky to let Chanyeol stay behind in Hell, and Baekhyun promised to bring him over once a day to visit until she was out of the hospital. Kyungsoo was discharged just after a few days but didn’t return to work yet. Even so, Kyungsoo wasn’t allowed to visit the human world due to it being too dangerous for her.

This time, it was Chanyeol’s turn to come over and visit instead of Kyungsoo usually doing it. Chanyeol could not stay for a long time and mainly visited when it was night time for him and morning in Hell. Chanyeol would leave before it was noon in Hell which was around midnight in Seoul. Kyungsoo had been doing the same before but in reverse and stayed longer. On the weekends, Chanyeol would stay over at her place.

Right after going to church and praying on Sundays, he’d go back to Hell and spend time with demons. For that, Chanyeol honestly felt bad and offended for his guardian angel if he had happened to have one. Chanyeol may have once feared going to Hell from his sins and wrongdoings. Now, going to Hell was a rather enjoyable option.

 

Chanyeol only visited in Kyungsoo’s home and became good friends with Sehun, who remained adamant about addressing him with his name and not as “uncle”. Chanyeol understood that and it was probably an awkward situation for Sehun, to have your uncle now engaged to your mother and having a child together. Sehun wasn’t even sure if the child would be his cousin or sibling. Sehun was accepting and Baekhyun couldn’t care less, albeit slightly worried. Suho was pleased to have another grandchild but still pretended as if Chanyeol didn’t even exist. Jongin isolated himself again from learning the news and Kris asked if they could let him name the baby this time.

 

 

During this time, Chanyeol went to visit his family but still couldn’t find the words to put in his mouth, to ask them to just come clean with his adoption. When Chanyeol thought of what he was about to do, he decided it was better for them to assume he didn’t know. It would just open another can of worms he couldn’t possibly deal with. He would also possibly risk putting them in danger if he ever told them.

Chanyeol loved his family no different; even if they weren’t blood related to him and would never want any harm to come their way. This was the family God had chosen for him, Chanyeol thought. Chanyeol certainly also thought God was merciful enough to put him into a good family, despite being the child of Satan.

Chanyeol always knew his mother wanted a grandchild and was hoping for his sister to have children, since he supposedly had vowed his celibacy and could not have children. That wasn’t the case anymore however. Chanyeol had a child on the way and was sort of eager to tell his mother, but was unable to do that either.

 

With Minseok’s help, Chanyeol traced down his birth mother’s grave in an old graveyard on the outskirts of the city. Her tombstone was overgrown with moss, weed and vines, and the stone was wearied down from the passage of time. It didn’t look like it had been maintained at all or anyone had bothered to visit and clean up the place.

Chanyeol didn’t like her that much now that he remembered how he was raised. She was always gone on purpose and leaving the babysitting to Kris and Kyungsoo. She had resented Chanyeol’s existence and eventually became hateful towards him and had tried to get him killed.

Despite that, he couldn’t bring himself to hate her as she was still the one who brought him into this world, and now Chanyeol saw that his birth and existence had a purpose. Everything did happen for a reason after all.

For the first and possibly the last time, Chanyeol cleaned up his mother’s tombstone and laid fresh flowers on her grave. Chanyeol prayed for her soul, no matter where it was now.

 

Chanyeol accepted that he had chosen this path and should tread upon it bearing the full responsibility he had put onto himself out of his own volition and will. It wasn’t going to be sunshine and daisies all the time, not without the effort at least.

 

 

Three months into her pregnancy, a month after discovering about it, Kyungsoo confirmed her decision to see it to the end and have the child. Chanyeol was happy at first but then he realized what he needed to do now. Chanyeol would fulfill the promise he made to Kyungsoo, to himself, to his unborn child and all the demons and humans alike.  

 

As fate would have it, Jongdae went to his apartment the night Chanyeol stayed up late typing his resignation letter. Jongdae arrived with Minseok to inform Chanyeol that the Vatican had discovered his identity from Lu Han, who had spies in Hell and the human world, and was now hunting him too. Jongdae and Minseok had planned to take Chanyeol out of the country that night and meet up with the other members of the Black Order who could supposedly protect him. Even if Chanyeol had not been planning to already leave the church that night, he would still have to now that they were hunting him.

The Vatican had now branded Chanyeol as a demon, and no more would he receive the privilege and treatment he had as a human, although he fell into both categories at the same time. Chanyeol may have been able to see the other side of the coin thanks to Kyungsoo and changed his life entirely through it, but he couldn’t say the same for the church. They had been strict on their demon loathing stance for over 2000 years and they sure weren’t about to change now. Chanyeol was of no worth to them anymore, but he didn’t care for that.

 

 

Chanyeol agreed to leave with Jongdae and Minseok, but only after he had visited Kyungsoo that night- or that morning for her in Hell. Kyungsoo was almost seventeen weeks pregnant and hadn’t even begun to start showing that much. The meat cravings were gone but Kyungsoo was forcing herself to take it for proper nutrient supplements.

Kyungsoo had gone back to work but mostly did the paper work instead of going out in the field. If it weren’t that dangerous for her to be in the human world, Kyungsoo would have still gone and hunted other demons for her job. While pregnant with Sehun, she did not even stop working till the last two months of her pregnancy. This time it would be around the same thing.

Chanyeol had not yet mastered how to open a Hell Gate and had either Kyungsoo or even Sehun and Baekhyun come over to open it for him every day, and he would just need to cross the street over to Kyungsoo’s riverside home. It was still relatively safe for them to enter the human world but not for Kyungsoo herself.

 

 

Kyungsoo worked from home with Baekhyun and had not even started working that morning when Chanyeol came over to visit. Kyungsoo was sitting on an arm chair beside a window in her white uniform, with a book in her lap and a cup of tea on a console table nearby. It was April but it was summer time in Hell. The morning sun shone brightly through the window and Kyungsoo’s black hair always seemed to glow red under the sunlight.

Chanyeol stood quietly at the door watching her. Kyungsoo had not noticed him yet as she continued reading the book and flipping the pages. To Chanyeol, the sight of her was breathtaking and if that had to be the last image he saw, Chanyeol would have no regrets except not being able to hold his child in his arms for the first time.

Kyungsoo smiled the moment she noticed and saw Chanyeol walk into the room. “Good morning”, Kyungsoo greeted from her chair, getting up and putting the book away.

Chanyeol returned the generous warm smile and walked up to Kyungsoo, holding her by the waist. “Good morning, my love.”

Kyungsoo giggled, “Since when have you started calling me that?” She gently teased.

“I thought I might as well start somewhere- or not.” Chanyeol almost laughed at himself too.

“That’s fine by me.” Kyungsoo confirmed.

 

It was quiet in the room for a short while before Chanyeol spoke up. “Kyungsoo, I have to leave soon. I can’t stay today. I’ll be going somewhere for a while and I don’t know when I come back to you. I won’t be coming back to Hell until then either.”

“What do you mean? Where are you going?”

“I’ve defected from the church and they’ve discovered I’m a demon. I’m joining the Black Order and going on the run until I can fix things.”

“Then stay with me here in Hell. You’re safe here. You’re the king’s son here. No one will dare to go against you.” Kyungsoo began to sound like she was begging. “That’s dangerous, Chanyeol. I don’t want to lose you. Why are you leaving me?”

“It’s because I don’t want to lose you and our child either that I’m doing this. I don’t want us to keep running and hiding all our life. I promise you I’ll make a world where we, a demon and a human, can be together without anyone coming between us.” Chanyeol stood by his decision despite how difficult it was.

“What are you talking about?” Kyungsoo still couldn’t quite grasp Chanyeol’s words. “That’s almost impossible or suicidal to speak the least.”

“I would rather fail and returned defeated than never trying at all.” Chanyeol stated.

 

Kyungsoo looked into Chanyeol’s eyes. Nothing about the way he looked or the emotion in his eyes said he was any less sure or unconfident about what he was doing now. There was determination and a fueled spirit burning in him. Not even Kyungsoo could stop him now. It was a noble cause but dangerous and too risky.

“Then let me go with you. I can help you.” Kyungsoo attempted to bargain.

“No.” Chanyeol denied her and reasoned, “I cannot risk losing the both of you. I know you’re strong but you’re safe here and this is something I have to do by myself.”

Kyungsoo asked, “What in the world are you actually planning to do?”

“I’m taking down the Holy Cross Order or at least taking down that Lu Han guy.” Chanyeol answered.

“You’re mad. Lu Han, maybe yes. But a centuries old organization with people and ties around the world? Also not to mention the millions of their loyal followers.”

“If I wasn’t mad, we wouldn’t have ended up here, and I love to be here with you.” Chanyeol clarified.

Kyungsoo shook her head in disapproval, “You really will go no matter what I say won’t you?”

“I’m sorry, Kyungsoo.” Chanyeol apologized.”I don’t want to leave either but I will be back as soon as I can, even before our baby is born. If I don’t do it now, I won’t have another chance and I fear I might be too late. Even if I do end up dying I’ll probably end up back here in Hell. We’ll be together and I will return I promise.”

“I don’t want to let you go. I do not want to do that, but I don’t want to hold you back either. This is difficult.” Kyungsoo contemplated the whole decision.

“I’ll sell my soul to you then.” Chanyeol firmly mentioned.

“Why would you do that too?” Kyungsoo was really confused because of Chanyeol that day.

Chanyeol explained to Kyungsoo, “So it belongs to you and only you. I only ask in exchange of my soul, that if I die, you will be the one to take it. I don’t care about Heaven or my retribution no more. It’s yours now and I will always be with you.”

 

 

Kyungsoo opened a Hell Gate for Chanyeol to leave in a clearing in the mountains nearby. The capital city of Hell was located in a valley in the mountains, and the nearby terrain was hilly and mountainous due to that. During the colder months, it would be covered in snow but now in the summer, the daisies were in full bloom and would remain there until fall.

The bloom of daisies covered the entire mountainside as far as the eye could see, leaving a carpet of white and some green on the earth. Chanyeol and Kyungsoo walked there hand in hand as the fresh summer breeze blew.

Chanyeol knew he had dreamt of this and like every dream he had, it all came true. Chanyeol just didn’t know if his dreams were a predestined future event or something that could still be changed.

Kyungsoo had opened the gate but Chanyeol was still holding her hand in the field of daisies as the wind blew her hair, and she tucked it behind her ear smiling at him. Kyungsoo’s name tag read the same name he had seen in her dreams.

“Did you start using your real name?” Chanyeol asked.

“Just the initials. I’ll tell you what it is but you have to come back alive first“, Kyungsoo smiled, sounding more relaxed than earlier.

Chanyeol smiled back and pulled Kyungsoo into a tight intimate, “I’ll do that then.”

“Please be safe.” Kyungsoo gasped, withholding her emotions. “I love you, Chanyeol.”

“I love you too. I’ll be back soon I promise. When you miss me, remember that you have my soul now. It belongs to you.” Chanyeol spoke gently.

Chanyeol placed a hand gently and lovingly on Kyungsoo’s slightly bulging belly, “I’ll be back for you too.” Chanyeol spoke to his unborn child.

 

Kyungsoo watched Chanyeol leave again, just like she had seen him off every morning before work. Except this time, he wouldn’t be back by the evening and maybe not for the next few days, weeks or months even.

As the gate closed and disappeared, Kyungsoo cried out loud. She had been trying to be strong and hold the tears back in front of Chanyeol, but now they just flowed as she sobbed loudly against the wind blowing. Kyungsoo cupped one hand over her mouth and the other over the bump in her belly. There was no one here now but herself. It was painful but Kyungsoo knew sacrifices had to be made.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm trying to end this at around chapter 20-25 so chapters will probably be longer to fit within that frame. If I do end up writing more, it'll end earlier and vice versa.   
> Just a warning that it's going to be angsty for the buildup until the ending. I'm probably going to heal my soul from all this by writing a serious crack later on.


	16. Unable

 

“For how long are you going to keep looking out your window?” Baekhyun had to ask, arms around her hips and slightly irritated from Kyungsoo’s recent behavior.

“It’s not like I have anything to do. I can look out my window if I want.” Kyungsoo answered back, turning her head to look at Baekhyun standing behind her.

“You’ve been doing that every evening for weeks now. You worry me honestly. I know you’re waiting for Chanyeol but you have to take care of yourself too.” Baekhyun tried to convince Kyungsoo.

“He could be coming back any day.” Kyungsoo justified her actions. “I want to be here when he does.”

“Girl, I’m pretty sure he’ll use the door if he does.” Baekhyun once more tried to be the one among them with more sense. “It won’t hurt if you miss him by a few minutes because he chose to use the door.”

“I’m not expecting him to climb through the window. I just wanted to look to see if he does.” Kyungsoo mindlessly answered. She wasn’t really paying attention to the conversation anyway.

Kyungsoo just wanted Chanyeol back anyway she could. If Kyungsoo could hear herself say that in a clearer state of mind, she would have knocked herself until some sense returned.

 

It was tougher for Kyungsoo not being able to contact Chanyeol, or even to see him. Kyungsoo could go to the human world and ignore all the risks to see him, but she didn’t even know where he was to begin with. Kyungsoo believed that Chanyeol would keep his promise and come back for sure, in time for their child to be born. She wanted to believe and trust him, but it didn’t seem like the world was on her side.

At times, there were moments when panic set course through her and Kyungsoo felt like Chanyeol was in grave danger wherever he was. During those times, Kyungsoo’s urge to leave and see him was almost uncontrollable.  
Baekhyun and anyone else nearby that time would remind Kyungsoo that it was just the anxiety and had nothing to do with it. No one knew Chanyeol’s whereabouts and situation, so nobody could say for sure.

 

Kyungsoo was hopeful at first, before her fear and uncertainty set in and she had to adjust her pride to accept that Chanyeol might never ever even come back. Kyungsoo’s hope may have been her driving force, but it also became what ate her alive.

Kyungsoo hated the person she became. Never did she ever felt so weak and at the mercy of things out of her control; which in this case was Chanyeol’s fate or how she would have to continue living without him and their child on the way. Kyungsoo was a person who took charge of her own fate, but she was so helpless at this point and despised it greatly.

 

“Have you thought of a name yet?” Suho asked gently, looking through a book of names. Suho had decided to visit Kyungsoo, because Kyungsoo would never do it if it was left up to her.

“I don’t care.” Kyungsoo answered monotonously, lips pursed in a straight line and looking towards the window across the room from where they were seated.

Suho knew Kyungsoo had fallen into depression since Chanyeol had left, and was doing her best to try and cheer her up. “Are you perhaps waiting for Chanyeol to name the baby?” For once, Suho actually had to acknowledge that Chanyeol did exist.

“If he ever comes back that is.” Kyungsoo replied, expression remaining unchanged.

“Don’t you want him to come back?” Suho gently placed the book aside, placing a hand on Kyungsoo’s lap.

“Of course I do. But it’s so painful to keep on waiting like this. I just can’t sit here and not do anything.” Kyungsoo whined.

“You can take care of yourself and prepare for when he comes back.” Suho tried to advice.

“Then what if he doesn’t?” Kyungsoo yelled.

Suho was slightly taken aback and surprised. “Kyungsoo, you’re not always like this.”

Kyungsoo clicked her tongue in irritation, pushing Suho’s hand off her lap and storming out of the room without saying a further word. Kyungsoo knew. She herself was probably the most aware of how she had regressed and turned into, an impatient and pessimist that is.

Kyungsoo hated herself half the time, and the other half felt sorry for herself.

 

 

“You didn’t have to chase your mother away like that. She was just trying to help you feel better.” Baekhyun tried to talk to Kyungsoo, waiting and sitting again by the window later that evening.

“What does she know?” Kyungsoo retorted in defiance.

“Your mother probably knows a lot. Your father walked out on her after you were born, but she remained strong even though it must have been painful for her especially just after giving birth.” Baekhyun spoke nothing but the truth.

“Go ahead and take her side if you want.” Kyungsoo spat out, without even thinking her words through.

“Kyungsoo, if there’s anyone’s side I’m taking, it’s yours. Do you realize that everyone is trying to help you?” Baekhyun herself was beginning to get irritated and raised her voice.

Kyungsoo stood up face to face with Baekhyun and in a loud voice stated, “Help me so I can live a bit longer so you can kill me when the war starts? That’s what _everyone_ wants isn’t it?”

“Kyungsoo, you know I would never do that.” Baekhyun was shocked to even hear Kyungsoo say such a thing in the past two centuries they had known each other. They always had each other’s back and knew that the other would do the same.

Kyungsoo only glared back angrily, withholding herself from saying anything else she knew would cause further damage. The damage had already been done and Kyungsoo had fallen as a victim to it as it is.

 

 

Exactly a month since Chanyeol had left, Kyungsoo was well into five months into her pregnancy. Small outbreaks of fighting and uprising had begun in smaller towns in the outskirts of Hell, falling into the control of the Separatist army. The situation was mostly under control and limited to rural areas, and war had not been officially declared yet. Not yet till it was too big for the current army in Hell to control and curb. Not yet until more of the demons in Hell decided that it was better to end the monarchy system and the current government to join the separatists and their ideology.

In the capital city Kyungsoo resided, most if not all things were still peaceful and day to day business went on as usual. The amount of soldiers seen in town was significantly more, some businesses began closing up and people began talking more and more. Everyone knew now war was imminent and bound to happen, it was a matter of when.

Kyungsoo did not use her pregnancy as an excuse to evade her duties. If not, it actually gave her something to distract herself with rather than letting her mind worry endlessly about Chanyeol and possibly having to raise the baby alone. Kyungsoo could only hope the baby would arrive before war was officially declared and she would have to fight in it.

Even if Chanyeol never made it back and Kyungsoo ended up dying; at least she knew that their child would live on as evidence of the love they had and as proof that even in that short time, they were actually able to be together even as a demon and human.

 

 

It was nearing the end of June, the last month of summer in Hell. The weather had cooled down especially at night especially with fall coming around the corner. The field of daisies had begun to lose color and the petals were gradually wilting by the day.

Kyungsoo visited the field again where she last saw Chanyeol, hoping he would return. Kyungsoo could not cry anymore now in the field of wilting daisies. Her tears had dried up from all the time she had cried. It had only been about two months since then but to Kyungsoo, it had felt like forever. Kyungsoo’s hope waned by the day and although she wished the best for Chanyeol, she eventually came to realize that taking care of her own situation now was the best thing she could do. Kyungsoo accepted there was nothing else she could do for Chanyeol.

The breeze that blew in summer was a mixture of cool and warm air. This time, the breeze that blew was just cold without that rush of warm air that came with it, even in middle afternoon. Kyungsoo closed her eyes, letting the wind blow against the skin of her face, letting her hair dance in the rush of air as she tried to imagine Chanyeol being there with her again just like the last time she had been there.

 

“I knew you would come here and that I’d find your here.” Kyungsoo heard a familiar voice behind her spoke in a gentle tone which wasn’t at all like of them to do.

Kyungsoo didn’t bother to even turn around to acknowledge the other’s presence. She very well knew who it was. “Of course you would know. This has always been my favorite place.” Kyungsoo simply stated, eyes still closed and enjoying the breeze.

“Yeah”, Jongin shrugged. “How are you lately?”

“I’m still alive.” Kyungsoo glanced over her shoulder to look at Jongin before turning away. “How about you?”

“I’m good.” Jongin answered. “Are you happy to be alive at least?” Jongin dryly chuckled, pushing some hair out of his eyes. Jongin always knew Kyungsoo liked the field very much and would accompany her there a lot of times while things were still good between them.

“Somewhat. At least I found a purpose. Even if I die, I hope that by doing so no one else would have to die in vain.” Kyungsoo answered him in a single breath.

“You know, I was just talking to my father about that.” Jongin mentioned.

“About sending me off to war to die?” Kyungsoo turned around to face Jongin, wearing an expressionless face.

“That too and about the baby you’re having.” Jongin mentioned as he scratched the back of his nape for no reason.

“What about it?” Kyungsoo inquired, slightly tilting her head.

“If Chanyeol-“Jongin paused, “-if he never returns, I’ll adopt the baby as my own child. Well technically speaking, Chanyeol’s child is a relative of mine too. The baby is another heir to the throne and we want to make sure he or she will be taken care of. I will raise your baby, Kyungsoo.”

“Thank you, but I can do that by myself even if Chanyeol never returns. Being a single mother does not concern me.” Kyungsoo glared at Jongin.

Jongin clarified, “I do not doubt your capabilities, Kyungsoo. You were the one who chose to take Chanyeol’s place in the war, and you know that when it happens you might not make it out alive. Then what becomes of your child if the both of you perish? Are you selfish enough to let that happen?”

“Why do you even care about this all of a sudden?” Kyungsoo responded, sounding slightly agitated.

Jongin simply stated, “You’re my family too now…in fact you always have been. Aren’t family supposed to look out for each other?”

 

 

Kyungsoo pondered the thought, and considered it long and hard. Kyungsoo was easier on herself this time around, and wanted time to be the judge of it all. Even though it was an honorable gesture that Jongin was offering, Kyungsoo wished she would never have to come down to that. Chanyeol did promise that he’d return, and Kyungsoo waited for him. Time was said to heal all wounds but the more it prolonged, so did her agony.

Kyungsoo waited another month, and by the time she entered the third trimester of her pregnancy, the situation in Hell only aggravated and made it worse. The territory claimed and fought over by the opposing separatist army only grew, posing a major threat to the current government of Hell that Kyungsoo served.

 

Due to the current condition in Hell, Kyungsoo and Baekhyun had to move out from the capital city to another citadel city on an island off the east coast, which served as Hell’s military base and official residence of Lucifer. It was the furthest landmass for where the battles were being fought, from where Kyungsoo could also carry out her duties as a General and safely deliver the baby when the time came.

Even from the contact and remaining demons in the human world who had not been called back, none had information regarding Chanyeol’s whereabouts. Nothing was heard of him or his current situation. Hearing all that, Kyungsoo knew that it was too risky for her to keep gambling on the chances that seemed all too slim now.

The only thing that held back Kyungsoo from being deployed to the frontlines was her pregnancy, and Lucifer withholding the official declaration of war due to fear of Heaven getting involved. The unborn baby was also in line to the throne and no one wanted to be responsible for murdering the grandchild of Lucifer.

 It was just a matter of time and very reluctantly, Kyungsoo agreed to let Jongin sign the birth certificate to name himself as the father if Chanyeol did not return by then. The baby would also be introduced as Jongin and Kyungsoo’s second child to the public. Only those close to them would know that Chanyeol was the actual father.  

Kyungsoo did not want or wish for that, but the world forced her to do just that. Kyungsoo didn’t feel like she was in control of her life no more.

 

 

Another two months passed, making it a total of four months since Chanyeol had been gone and unheard of. It was the month of August, the last month before winter in Hell fell on September. Kyungsoo was now heavily pregnant at eight months. Chanyeol had been away for half that period now. Kyungsoo knew he was alive out there because he had sold his soul to her, and she would receive it if he had passed away. However, Kyungsoo had given up on him ever coming back and already began the process of moving on especially that she could be giving birth anytime soon.

 

Kyungsoo could no longer wait by the window as she used to. Even if Chanyeol were to return there now, no one would be there anymore. Instead, Kyungsoo would walk to the cliff on the island outside the walled areas to look at the sunset as she thought about Chanyeol.

Sometimes, when Kyungsoo stood on the cliff; the famed flying white whale would appear emerging from the sea near the horizon after sun down, and Kyungsoo would get to see it flying low in the night sky among the twinkling stars reflected by the calm sea.

 

“It’s early this evening.” Sehun mentioned, hands in his coat pocket as he stood by the cliff with Kyungsoo watching the large legendary creature rising from the water, flying in the starry sky above.

“You can ask your grandfather to make it come out anytime if you want.” Kyungsoo chuckled. Forlorn as she was, at least Kyungsoo slowly started to feel better even with Chanyeol’s disappearance, a baby incoming and the threat of war and death.

“Well, that’s true. The whale _is_ his pet after all. He just lets it swim in the sea around here.” Sehun pointed out, hugging his arms for warmth. It was the beginning of winter and nights were pretty cold especially on the cliff with the sea breeze blowing towards them.

Kyungsoo mentioned, “You know, when you were born here, your father brought you out here at just a few hours old to see the whale. I’m not sure if it just came out or your grandfather did it on purpose.”

“I remember that. You told me that a few times now.” Sehun acknowledged.

Kyungsoo added, “When your father was born, he was brought out here too by your grandfather to see the whale. It’s a tradition for every child born into the royal family. The whale is the symbol of royalty after all. I wasn’t here when you were brought out but supposedly, the whale makes a sound when you present the new baby of the royal family to it. It’s like a symbolism that the new baby is acknowledged as a new member of the family.”

“I didn’t know that whale could make sounds either. So father will have to bring out the new baby when you give birth?” Sehun asked, eager to know.

“Chanyeol is supposed to bring the baby out here but yes, it looks like your father will be the one to do it.” Kyungsoo answered, staring into the distance towards the sea.

“Chanyeol is a member of the royal family too. Was he ever brought out here?” Sehun further asked, turning to look at Kyungsoo.

Kyungsoo too turned to Sehun and shook her head, “I don’t think so.”

 

Around late afternoon the following day, Kyungsoo went into premature labor, seven weeks too early than expected. Kyungsoo didn’t want to go through with it and give birth yet, but she never really was in control of anything these days- not even over herself and well being. The decision was made by the midwives employed by Lucifer to deliver the baby as soon as Kyungsoo was dilated enough to start the process.

It was inconvenient for Kyungsoo, but to Hell it was benefitting them. The sooner Kyungsoo gave birth, the sooner they could use her to fight for them and end the war even if was officially declared. Kyungsoo had half the military council’s support to not send her to war due to them being her relatives and friends, but the other half had agreed to it. Now, it was up for Lucifer to choose if it should happen to Kyungsoo.

Kyungsoo’s stress and emotional turmoil throughout the pregnancy had not been without repercussions, as evident by what she was going through now. Kyungsoo had wanted Chanyeol to be her side as promised when the moment had happened. At that point, on the bed writhing and crying as the pain of contractions coursed through her every interval, Kyungsoo not only gave up hope for Chanyeol but for herself too.

 

 


	17. It was raining when I saw you again

 

After months of endless fighting and sleepless nights, the battle was over. Chanyeol with the help of Jongdae and Minseok had defeated and killed Lu Han after tracking him all the way to a mountain hideout in China. Even the exorcists sent after Chanyeol were defeated. The Holy Cross Order remained, but the Black Order with Chanyeol in their forces proved to be of equal match to them. A treaty was signed and agreed upon by both sides to cease from more casualties and ending their centuries long feud.

Like it or not, it was the most painless option to avoid more damage on both parts, even if it meant having to learn to co-exist with an enemy. It was a lesson to be learnt for both sides.

The conflict was not without loss. Several other members of the Black Order perished and Chanyeol himself was in a month long coma over the past four months, until his demon powers began to kick in and woke him fully healed when someone suddenly had the idea that they should probably stop praying around Chanyeol.

 

It was at a quiet train station somewhere in China, where Minseok and Jongdae decided to see Chanyeol off. Although they would have like Chanyeol to stay, they had agreed he would leave once the job was done.

“So, I guess this is where our paths diverge.” Jongdae announced, grinning towards to Chanyeol.

“It was a pleasure to have you on board with us.” Minseok mentioned as he shook Chanyeol’s hand.

“Thank you for having me too.” Chanyeol thanked, pulling the straps on his bag pack. “I would love to stay longer and help the Order, but I have some other things I have to tend to now.”

“Where will you go?” Jongdae asked, arms folded at his chest. “Are you going back to Seoul?”

“I’m going to Hell.” Chanyeol stated, chuckling dryly to himself.

Minseok laughed, “That’s funny, Chanyeol. But you are serious aren’t you?”

“He is a demon after all. I bet he has family in Hell he wants to visit too.” Jongdae nudged Minseok with his elbow.

“Yeah, you’re right.” Minseok snickered.

Chanyeol smiled back, “Yes, I do have family there I must visit.” Only Kyungsoo and their unborn child were on his mind now.

 

Chanyeol left on the next train, waving goodbye to Jongdae and Minseok, promising to hopefully meet them again one day. It was the middle of summer in China and the weather was hot and humid. It was no weather to be wearing a scarf, but Chanyeol had kept it by his side always. It felt like a part of Kyungsoo was always with him, even while they were apart.

Chanyeol believed he was on time and early by a month, in time to be with Kyungsoo before she gave birth. He still did not know of what was going on in Hell. Chanyeol dozed off to sleep on the train. He dreamt a lot about Kyungsoo before, and they were all good dreams even if he couldn’t quite understand the context.

This time, Chanyeol didn’t feel like it was a good dream. As usual; Chanyeol didn’t understand what it meant, but knowing that his dreams were premonitions of some kind set him off and made him restless. In the dream, Chanyeol was standing by a cliff overlooking the sea. There was an entire fleet of ships in the sea bearing white flags and colors, and standing beside him on that cliff was Kyungsoo in her white uniform.

Kyungsoo did not talk to him in the dream. She only looked ahead towards the sea with the wind blowing her hair, and in her hand was a very familiar spear that Chanyeol had seen before but never though even existed. A supposedly holy relic a demon was not even supposed to be able to hold.

The dream felt ominous and Chanyeol woke up startled, to an old man speaking to him in Mandarin asking if he could sit beside Chanyeol, to which he simply nodded. Chanyeol could not go back to sleep and remained awake, looking out at the view of the hills and countryside until he reached his destination.

 

Kyungsoo had given him instructions on how to return to Hell, but Hell gates could only be opened in designated areas in the human world, about the same it worked even in Hell. For Chanyeol, the nearest location was in a town almost six hours away by train.

Chanyeol arrived in the town by night fall, making his way to the riverside away from most people. Setting his bag down on the rocky riverbank, Chanyeol tried his best to open a Hell Gate like Kyungsoo had taught him. He was to visualize the door and use his spiritual energy to conjure the door, but Chanyeol wasn’t sure how to go about that either. Now, he wished he had actually paid attention or practiced it before.

Chanyeol was about to give up and just planned on probably committing suicide, so Kyungsoo could come and get his soul instead when the gate manifested by itself on the river bank.

Chanyeol’s eyes lit up. “I did it”, he told himself slightly excited and almost jumping in anticipation. He would be able to go see again finally. Kyungsoo was the person who had occupied his thoughts the entire time, even while they were apart. There hadn’t been a day that had passed where he didn’t think of her.

 

The gate opened and instead a hand emerged, pulling him by the collar inside. Chanyeol was caught by surprise and pulled in through the gate, his belongings left behind on that riverbank. Chanyeol stumbled through the gate, almost tripping into another place where it was way colder and brighter.

Chanyeol felt the cold air around him, and was slightly blinded by the light, taking some time to adjust his eyes from the sudden change in illumination. All was silent around him. Chanyeol knew there was someone with him there, but they weren’t talking or saying anything.

Chanyeol removed the arm he had put over his eyes to protect himself from the light, looking to see Kyungsoo in front of him in what looked like a thin hospital gown. It appeared that they seemed to be in a courtyard of some sorts from what Chanyeol saw around him.

“Kyungsoo!” Chanyeol exclaimed, immediately rushing up to her to finally hold Kyungsoo in his arms. Chanyeol had longed for her warmth and touch for so long.

“Don’t”, Kyungsoo held her hand out in front of him before he could approach her and gritted her teeth, moving to clutch her stomach with the other hand. Chanyeol could see she was very much pregnant and in pain.

“Are you alright?” Chanyeol worryingly asked, trying to get close to her. The pregnancy bump was way larger than it was when he left.

“Am I alright? Where the fuck have you been?” Kyungsoo shouted. “You’ve been gone for months and no one heard anything from you. I thought you forgotten about me.”

“Kyungsoo, I can explain. I didn’t forget you. How could I?” Chanyeol almost panicked.

 

Kyungsoo only looked back at Chanyeol, obviously angered and trembling either from the pain or cold.  Kyungsoo felt herself about to cry, but this time she was able to hold it back. If it wasn’t cold enough already, it began to rain down on them.

Chanyeol stood there in the freezing rain looking at Kyungsoo, who didn’t look too well himself. It was always raining when they ran into each other, and even this time in Hell, the skies seemed to acknowledge the fact.  It was almost a year since they first met each other and so much had changed since then. Only silence and stares were exchanged in between them beneath the pounding rain.

 

They were disrupted by the familiar feminine voice shouting out Kyungsoo’s name from across the courtyard under the shade of the building surrounding it. Kyungsoo and Chanyeol turned to look, and saw Baekhyun rushing towards them with an umbrella.

Baekhyun stopped to look at Chanyeol with a puzzled face before turning her attention to Kyungsoo worriedly. “Kyungsoo, I told you I’ll get him. You didn’t have to leave the room. Everyone is looking for you.”

“What’s going on?” Chanyeol confusedly asked.

“You didn’t tell him?” Baekhyun stood beside Kyungsoo, shading the both of them from the rain.

“I’m in fucking labor, you Satan spawn. For about three hours now and the contractions are getting more frequent.” Kyungsoo explained, very irritated. “One of our people finally spotted you in the human world and you really chose a nice time to come back.”

“She’s just in pain. Don’t mind her.” Baekhyun tried to bring Kyungsoo away back to the building, which turned out to be that of a hospital. “Kyungsoo, let’s go.”

“But I thought we still had a month more.” Chanyeol stood dumbfounded in the rain.

“Not thanks to your father I won’t. He wants the baby now since I already went into early labor.” Kyungsoo snarled, walking away with Baekhyun.

Chanyeol stood in the rain a bit longer, feeling perplexed and surreal, trying to understand the situation. He was literally pulled into another world where he was going to be a father before the day ended. It was only around noon in Hell.

To Chanyeol, the past four months had felt pretty short. However, seeing Kyungsoo again, made him realize that the four months must have felt like an eternity to her. It wasn’t that easy as he thought it would be for her. For that, Chanyeol felt remorseful. If he was any later, he would have missed their child’s birth just like he promised he wouldn’t.

 

 

Kyungsoo was led to her hospital room while Chanyeol was given a change of dry clothes and waited outside in the waiting area, his feet anxiously tapping the floor and his teeth grinding against each other. It was even tenser considering that Suho and Jongin were waiting in the room with him. Out of all Kyungsoo’s relatives and friends, he had the hardest time getting along with those two.

Suho left shortly, entering the room where Kyungsoo was still waiting in labor. Kyungsoo was only allowed one visitor at a time, and was still pretty pissed to want to see Chanyeol yet.

 

“You are really one lucky bastard”, Jongin commented once he was left alone with Chanyeol. “If you never showed up, I was already planning to take your child and raise it as mine.”

“Thanks?” Chanyeol was actually surprised Jongin wasn’t beating him up or planning to do so right there and then.

 “Where have you been? Why did you leave her?” Jongin inquired, actually holding a civil conversation with Chanyeol for once.

“Getting rid of _your_ enemies for her sake”, Chanyeol confidently answered, puffing his chest out and feeling slightly proud of himself.

“Nobody told you to do that.” Jongin shook his head disapprovingly. “Why trouble yourself?”

“Because there wouldn’t be any world for us left if I don’t do it.” Chanyeol was very sure of himself and certain about his decision and actions, although he admitted he had hurt Kyungsoo to achieve that. Chanyeol promised to himself to make up for it.

 

Before Jongin could throw in his two cents about it, a nurse appeared in the room calling out, “Whom of you two are the father? I think we’re ready now.”

Jongin looked to Chanyeol and patted him on the back, “He is.”

Chanyeol slowly got up from his seat, legs still shaking as the nurse called for him to follow her.

Jongin laughed watching how nervous Chanyeol was, compared to just moments ago when he was trying to make a statement to Jongin being confident and whatnot. Suddenly, Jongin didn’t feel so challenged or threatened by Chanyeol. Even Jongin himself was shaking when Sehun was born. Chanyeol was just much like everyone else even if he seemed different.

 

Chanyeol was ushered into the delivery room, where he was made to wear gloves and a surgical cap and gown. Kyungsoo was lying down with hands cupped over her face moaning in pain.

“Kyungsoo”, Chanyeol called out approaching her at the bedside.

“There you are”, Kyungsoo grunted and threw her head back onto the pillow when another contraction happened.

“I-I thought you didn’t want to see me so I-“Chanyeol stammered, nervous at the entire situation and watching Kyungsoo in pain. “Are you alright?”

“Do I look okay?” Kyungsoo dryly chuckled, grunting through gritted teeth whenever the contractions grew closer and longer.

Chanyeol smiled weakly, holding Kyungsoo’s hand in his. “I’m here like I promised. We’re doing this together.”

“I wish you could help me push out the baby. It’s way larger than taking a dick up there.” Kyungsoo sarcastically commented, laughing softly as she firmly squeezed Chanyeol’s hand.

 

Chanyeol was shaking and trembling, sweating cold sweat throughout the entire delivery. It seemed as if it was Kyungsoo who was holding his hand to encourage him, not the other way around. When the baby was finally delivered, Chanyeol finally gained his courage upon hearing his child’s first cries. His child with the woman he loved.

“It’s a boy. Thankfully no complications it seems”, the midwife announced after, handing over the baby for Kyungsoo to breast feed.

“-another boy. It seems like everyone born into your family is male.” Kyungsoo commented, looking towards Chanyeol with their son in her arms.

Chanyeol kissed Kyungsoo on her sweaty forehead, “Thank you, Kyungsoo. Thank you very much.”

Chanyeol began to cry and Kyungsoo noticed this straight away, asking him, “Do you want to hold our son?”

Chanyeol nodded as the nurse instructed him how to properly hold a baby. Doing as he was told, Chanyeol carefully held his sleeping son in his arms. A newborn baby was lighter than he had expected it to be, and suddenly Chanyeol felt so fragile and afraid. Chanyeol was so afraid of losing both his son and Kyungsoo now, realizing how fragile and fleeting life was not caring if you were demon or a human.

“Please don’t name him something weird.” Kyungsoo requested, lying down as she was stitched up after birthing the placenta. “Ugh, I’m never giving birth again.”

“I’ll remember that.” Chanyeol grinned, knowing he was responsible for that in the first place.

Chanyeol didn’t get to hold his son for long, before the baby was taken away for extensive care due to being born early. Chanyeol was actually surprised Hell had adopted a lot of human technology for medical care. All the other aspects seemed like a century behind except the healthcare.

 

Soon, the room was busy with visitors who came in to congratulate the both of them. Suho even personally went up to Chanyeol to shake his hand and actually talk to him. Kris was the first to arrive with lots of stuffed toys, pushing the heap of toys into Chanyeol’s lap and telling him he had to keep each one.

 

“I still don’t know how I feel about this but if you want me to call you uncle, then I guess I can do that.” Sehun mentioned, handing over a wrapped box as a congratulatory gift.

“You can call me whatever you want.” Chanyeol replied, smiling politely.

“Uncle?” Sehun tried to get used to saying.

“Uncle it is then.” Chanyeol was pleased to be getting along well with everyone. They were and always have been his family too.

 

Baekhyun soon came over too, and although spent most of the time talking to Kyungsoo, she did exchange a few words with Chanyeol.

“I’m not moving out. Kyungsoo and I are still going to be staying together even if you decide that you want to move in.” Baekhyun firmly stated.

“Don’t bully him”, Kyungsoo playfully chided in, lying down on her side. “No one is kicking you out.”

 “I’m just letting him know to be sure.” Baekhyun added. “We’re a package deal so you can’t get rid of me.”

“Best friends forever.” Kyungsoo laughed.

“I think I’m okay with that.” Chanyeol spoke up, joining the laughter.

 

 

As the day got later, everyone but Chanyeol left, staying behind to spend the night on the reclining chair with Kyungsoo in the hospital room. After they had visited their yet to be named son in the incubator room for the night, Chanyeol helped tucked Kyungsoo to sleep.

“Are you still mad at me for leaving?” Chanyeol cautiously asked, standing by the bed and pulling up the blanket for Kyungsoo.

“What’s there to be mad about? It’s done and said.” Kyungsoo replied, sitting up on the bed facing Chanyeol. “If you’re telling me I can turn back time and stop you from leaving, then yes I would do that. But I can’t now can I?”

“I am really sorry for that.” Chanyeol tugged on Kyungsoo’s left hand, kissing the back of her hand. “I won’t do it again I promise. I won’t leave you anymore.”

Kyungsoo sighed, “So, did you at least get what you wanted to do? We did hear about Lu Han’s death. Was that you?”

“That was me”, Chanyeol admitted.

“You are mad, Chanyeol”, Kyungsoo responded in a deadpan expression.

“I thought _you_ were the mad one between us both.” Chanyeol teased, grinning for no particular reason.

“What else did you do while you were gone?” Kyungsoo asked, leaning back on the pillows propped up behind her.

“Oh, I actually got injured real bad and was in a coma for an entire month.” Chanyeol announced without thinking through.

“What!? Chanyeol, are you alright?” Kyungsoo almost yelled in that room

“I’m alright. Thank goodness for being half demon because that saved me.” Chanyeol clarified, trying to contain the situation without letting Kyungsoo blowing up.

 

Kyungsoo was entirely shocked from hearing all that, asking a lot of questions making sure Chanyeol was really alright, taking some time before she could continue the conversation. Chanyeol was lying down on the reclining chair meant for visitors beside the bed, a blanket on his legs.

Kyungsoo was lying down on her side near the edge of the bed so she could be closer to Chanyeol, holding his hand over the gap between them.

“So, when are you leaving?” Kyungsoo asked, sounding quite forlorn and spaced out.

Chanyeol was more than pleased to answer, “I’m not leaving. Not without you and our son this time.”

“Don’t you want to go back to the human world?” Kyungsoo further asked, actually hoping to be disappointed. 

“I will go back when you come with me. For now, I’ll be staying here with you.” Chanyeol ran his thumb over the fingers on Kyungsoo’s hand still in his warm grasp. “I did promise you I’ll make it so that we can be together in a world without being hunted. The human world is safe for us now.”

Kyungsoo averted her gaze, “You know, you didn’t have to do that.”

“Everyone told me the same thing. I may not have to do it, but I want to leave a better world for everyone including you and our son.” Chanyeol explained, pursing his lips after.

“You’re too kind. You always have been. I worry it will be your downfall one day. ” Kyungsoo raised her concern.

“Well, I did try to kill you in the past. How kind could that be?” Chanyeol didn’t want to get too full of himself, even if he was very happy in that moment.

“You could still choose to kill me later, but you never did. In fact you had many chances.” Kyungsoo brought up.

“-and I never will.”

 

 

Kyungsoo ended up choosing the demon name for their son, while Chanyeol settled on a one syllable name, naming their son “Chan” after himself. Kyungsoo could not argue since Chanyeol was the namesake, even though she had been the one who told him not to pick out anything funny. Lucifer had yet to meet his grandson and even Chanyeol, but acknowledged them as his family.

A month later, Chanyeol brought out their son at the cliff after sunset to see the flying whale. Chanyeol certainly did notice it was the same cliff he had seen in their dreams, but did not say anything about it yet. The scene currently was different than what he dreamt about, and Chanyeol guessed it just hadn’t happened yet.

 

Chan was brought out later than the other members of the royal family due to his early birth. The whale did appear from the sea flying into the starry sky, making two loud booming sounds instead of the usual one.

 “Is that normal?” Chanyeol turned to ask Kyungsoo standing beside him, carrying a sleeping Chan in his arms. “I thought it was supposed to be one.”

“The other one is for you. A late one.” Kyungsoo answered, staring out to the sea.

“Oh”, Chanyeol gaped.

Kyungsoo could only continue looking towards the horizon in the night sky. The moon was out but the sky near the sea was always littered with the light of the stars. Spring was coming soon in Hell and she was honestly scared of what it would bring with war drawing closer and closer.

Kyungsoo smiled when she looked at Chanyeol staring ahead into the sky in awe. At least they had each other now. Even without him, she would still be able to carry on, but not in the way she wanted. It was better this way and nothing could stop her from being happy as it is.

 

 


	18. I met you on the path I took to avoid fate

 

“It’s getting hot isn’t it?” Chanyeol stood by a window overlooking the garden from the second floor, where he could see the tulips that grew on the flower bed below just outside the window.

“Of course it is. It’s almost summer here. You can go back to Seoul if you want. I bet it’s cold there now since it is December.” Kyungsoo suggested, resting her chin on the palm of her right hand as she worked on some papers on the desk.

“You know I was thinking about that.” Chanyeol pointed out, leaning against the window sill.

“You miss your friends and your job?” Kyungsoo snickered, twirling the pen in her fingers.

“I do sort of. But I was thinking of something else.” Chanyeol corrected, turning to look towards Kyungsoo at her desk from across the room.

“What is it?” Kyungsoo asked, averting her attention back to the papers she was working on.

“I was thinking of baptizing our son.” Chanyeol stated.

“You what!?” Kyungsoo loudly announced, surprised. “You are going to baptize a child that’s ¾ demon?”

“Well…it was just a suggestion.”

Kyungsoo only shook her head, turning to look at Chan asleep soundly in his cot in the same room. War had been officially declared a month ago, but so far, Kyungsoo was mostly safe in the fortress island. There had been no orders for her yet to be in the battle because she had given birth recently, but it had been four months since then and Kyungsoo wouldn’t be too surprised when the time came for her to do so.

 

 

In the evening, when the sun was lower in the sky and the weather cooler, Kyungsoo and Chanyeol brought out their son to the tulip garden just outside their current house. They lived in a cozy lodge house which was a former military dormitory, just a few miles inland from the cliff by the sea. Baekhyun and now Sehun lived together with them too.

Sitting on the ground with Chan in his lap, Chanyeol plucked out a tulip petal to hold in front of his son for him to inspect. Chan was too beginning to grow his hair without shedding, sporting dark hair like both his parents, which was something uncommon still in demons.

Chan was about at that age where he was fascinated by everything around him, wanting to touch and hold everything. Kyungsoo had her hair pulled by Chan a few times. Chanyeol laughed at it too until he had his ears pulled.

“Don’t let him put it in his mouth”, Kyungsoo warned, sitting cross-legged on the ground too but with a notebook in her hand. Kyungsoo had been extra busy with technical and paperwork to compensate for not going out to fight. Even if life was still peaceful and complacent far from the battlefront, Kyungsoo still felt unrest, wanting to do more and play her part too.

“Don’t worry. I won’t let him.” Chanyeol chuckled, letting Chan hold the petal in his hands and looking confusedly at it. “Children are so funny at this age.”

“He takes it from you. I basically raised you till you were five years old.” Kyungsoo pointed out, without looking up from writing down in her notebook.

Chanyeol smiled to himself, eyes moving from Kyungsoo and to Chan each minding their own business. It still felt somewhat surreal to Chanyeol to have a family of his own, to be living in Hell, to be among demons and not killing them, even having them as his family and friends. Those were things Chanyeol never even dreamt to have in this lifetime, not until Kyungsoo appeared in his life.

“Kyungsoo”, Chanyeol called out for her, settling Chan to lie down on his lap.

“Yeah?” Kyungsoo looked up from her book, looking towards Chanyeol.

“Thank you for literally falling for me- from a building.” Chanyeol mentioned, grinning toothily.

Kyungsoo pursed her lips, fighting the urge to make a snarky remark. Realizing that, she too smiled, “You’re welcome. Thank you for not killing me too. When Chan is older, I’m still telling him that he was born because you don’t know how to pull out.”

Chanyeol laughed and teased Kyungsoo, “You’ve had two children conceived from the same circumstances. I think the problem might be you.”

 

 

Chanyeol was officially signed up into the army of Hell as a reserve soldier, a mandatory requirement for all members of the royal family. Thanks to Lucifer, Chanyeol obtained an officer rank for simply just being blood-related. Chanyeol hadn’t done much, mostly just following Kyungsoo around as her assistant alongside Baekhyun.

Not that any of them was complaining because they could take care of Chan throughout the day, without hiring other people to babysit.

Chanyeol was now aware of what he was really wanted for in Hell by his birth father. Half-demons born from a human mother possessed the physical form of a human, enabling him to work as a priest around holy items which would otherwise harm demons. The reverse was not true for half-demons born from demon mothers. Unlike him, Chan would not bear the same privilege that Chanyeol had.

Lucifer never loved Chanyeol’s birth mother. She was just used to bear him a child that could be used as a disposable war arsenal. To them, it was easier to dispose of Chanyeol than Kyungsoo, since she was somewhat more _valuable_.

Now that everyone had gotten to know Chanyeol and accepted him as a friend and family, anyone who thought that had to change the way they think. It wasn’t easy.

 

 

“No, no. One unit is equal to about a hundred cents.” Kyungsoo pointed out, showing Chanyeol the proper way to use coins and currency in Hell as they stood in front of a farmer’s stall to buy food.

Chanyeol was juggling the coins in his hand, still unfamiliar on how to work around the conversions and denominations. “So one unit is like one thousand won in Korea? I’ve been here a few months and I still don’t understand how this works.”

“Yeah, it’s about that.” Kyungsoo explained, sorting the coins and placing them on the counter to pay for their items, while Chanyeol carried the paper bags.

“Thank you very much”, the farmer thanked them and took off his hat as a polite gesture. “Business has been hard lately with the war in the East. That’s where almost all of our entire produce comes from. I worry the situation will only get worse.”

“Rest assured it will be alright. We, the military, will serve this country to make sure everything returns to the status quo.” Kyungsoo assured, forcing a smile to display an image of certainty. Deep down inside, she wasn’t too certain herself.

Chanyeol was attentive to Kyungsoo’s words and body language as she made the statement. He knew she was lying, that things weren’t really alright and of the weight, she bore upon her shoulders. He was the only one who could see the silent plea of help in Kyungsoo’s eyes.

 

On the way walking back to their home after grocery shopping, Chanyeol decided to bring the topic up that had been going through his mind the entire day or rather the entire past few months even.

As they carefully trodded up the stone paved steps leading up to their home on the hilltop by the cliff, Chanyeol spoke breaking the silence, “Kyungsoo, is everything alright?”

Kyungsoo, a few steps ahead of him glanced over her shoulders, “Everything is alright. Why would you ask that?”

“Well, we are in the middle of a war.” Chanyeol pointed out.

“I think everyone is aware of that now.” Kyungsoo added, continuing in her steps.

“Yeah…but about when you’ll be sent out to war?” Chanyeol stopped in his steps, balancing the weight of the paper bags in his arms, waiting for Kyungsoo to stop and turn to him. Chanyeol knew she would address this matter no matter how uncomfortable it was.

Kyungsoo did stop in her tracks, turning around to face Chanyeol and looking down at him from the elevated ground she stood on. “I try to avoid thinking about that.”

Chanyeol sighed, straining his neck to look up at Kyungsoo, “I dreamt about it. About you are going to war.”

“Oh really?”

Chanyeol nodded. “I just didn’t know how to tell you. You know how everything I dream comes true and you had just given birth then. I didn’t want to burden you already than I have.”

Kyungsoo walked down the few steps to a step where she was at about eye level to Chanyeol. “You don’t burden me”, Kyungsoo mentioned without a single hint of doubt, looking straight into his eyes.

Before Chanyeol could respond, Kyungsoo had pulled his face into her warm hands to plant a light kiss on his slightly sweaty forehead. Pressing his forehead against hers, Kyungsoo only repeated the same words over and over again to reassure him everything was really alright.

Chanyeol closed his eyes, unable to hold and reach out to Kyungsoo from the paper bags he was carrying in his hands. “I’m with you no matter what. If you go to war, I’m going with you.”

“Then what about Chan? We can’t bring him you know.” Kyungsoo pointed out.

“We can send him to live with my family in the human world. I’m sure my mom would be happy to take care of her grandson.” Chanyeol suggested.

“Does she even know you have a son? With a demon? Or that you’re half demon? Or that you had a child without even getting married?” Kyungsoo laughed to herself, reminding herself of how much Chanyeol had since his clergyman days. Looking back on it was certainly amusing to her at least.

“Well, we could lie.” Chanyeol tried to propose.

Kyungsoo only laughed more. “Sure then. As long as you’re not afraid of committing a sin by doing that.” Kyungsoo sarcastically mentioned.

“My existence is a sin by itself. I got used to it.” Chanyeol dryly chuckled to himself.

 

 

Later that night, after everyone had dinner together, Chan was the first to be tucked into his crib while the adults stayed up later. Chan no longer woke up throughout the night and most often slept through, making the nights easier for parents with a young baby. The door to the room was left open so if it so happened that Chan woke up during the night, they could hear his cries.

Kyungsoo was sitting at the dining table stirring her tea while Chanyeol too sat there reading a book, as he was slowly trying to learn how to read demon writing. As the house they stayed in was a former dormitory, there was a long kitchen counter and numerous other tables in the dining room. Everyone could have an entire table to themselves if they so desired it.

A knock was heard on the door and Baekhyun got up offering to take it. Baekhyun reappeared a minute later with pursed lips and a blank face.

“What’s wrong?” Kyungsoo asked from across the room, holding the spoon in her mug.

Baekhyun folded her arms across her chest and shook her head disapprovingly, “Chanyeol’s daddy is here.”

“Oh”, Kyungsoo seemed the least bit interested and unfazed, not even when Satan himself walked into the room and took the seat beside her and Chanyeol. Now that she got to see Lucifer’s up close for the first time in a while, Kyungsoo realized how Chanyeol bore a similar resemblance to him, even more than Jongin did.

 

Chanyeol had only met Lucifer once before this and was surprised to see him dropping by uninvited. Chanyeol remained seated, unsure whether to go up to greet his father and turned to look to Kyungsoo who was probably the only person in the room unbothered by the King of Hell’s presence.

“Good evening, Kyungsoo. I haven’t seen you in a while. You look healthy.” Lucifer pointed out, tapping his finger on the table. He was dressed smartly in the official white uniform, clearly displaying his ranks on the shoulder and chest.

“You look dead as always.” Kyungsoo commented, taking a sip from her tea. Lucifer was always known for his pale skin and hair, even among demons who all had light hair.

“Always the snarky one I see”, Lucifer smiled and turned his attention to a flustered Chanyeol instead.

Sehun later came out of his room to great his grandfather, and Kyungsoo was grateful that his attention had now shifted to Chanyeol and Sehun instead. Kyungsoo and Baekhyun shot each other glares from across the room, communicating just by body language because they very well knew that Lucifer would never just show up if it wasn’t something big and major.

 

 

Just like Kyungsoo had guessed, Lucifer had come to personally “invite” her to be deployed to the frontlines of the battlefront as soon as the following week. The separatist army who wanted to abolish the monarchy and form their own government conquered more territory by the day and was now becoming something the current forces were unable to curb.

Kyungsoo was calm throughout, even after hearing the revelation and her impending destiny. Instead, Chanyeol was the alarmed and worried one.

When Lucifer finally left, Baekhyun slammed the door behind him and muttered to herself, “Good riddance. I feel so uncomfortable around him.”

“That’s the individual who betrayed God after all.” Kyungsoo stated with her hands on her hips, agreeing with Baekhyun.

Chanyeol looked to Baekhyun and then Kyungsoo, none of them even seemed scared or freaking out after having the King of Hell literally tell them to go out and fight in a war. They seemed to be more occupied commenting on Lucifer and his traits instead.

“Kyungsoo! What do we do?” Chanyeol frantically asked, clinging onto her arms and almost jumping up and down from the tension.

“We do what we always have done.” Kyungsoo answered with a smile on her face, the furthest from distraught.

Baekhyun continued, “-which is kill our own kind and be done with it. We have always been demons who hunt other demons. A war doesn’t make it any different.”

“Our holiday is over now.” Kyungsoo commented, stretching her arms over her head and going up the stairs to the second floor.

 

Chanyeol always knew but he didn’t understand and probably tried to ignore the fact, nor did he realize that it was something so normal for them to not even worry about. While almost everyone including Chan slept soundly that night, Chanyeol found himself waking up several times in the middle of the night.

When Chanyeol stirred awake, he would find Kyungsoo fast asleep beside him and Chan sleeping soundly in his cot from across the room. The house was quiet too, signifying that no one but him was awake.

Around the third or fourth time, Chanyeol was woken up due to his worried thoughts, he found that Kyungsoo was no longer in the bed or anywhere in the room. It was a full moon that night, and the stream of moonlight shone through the window onto the bed he shared with Kyungsoo, illuminating the specks of dust floating around.

Chanyeol got out of bed and headed down the hallway but didn’t find Kyungsoo anywhere either. Not until he reached the end of the hallway, and found the door opened at the end of the stairs leading up to the rooftop deck.

Chanyeol carefully trudged up the stairs, not wanting the floorboards to creak under his weight and make noises. There, Chanyeol saw Kyungsoo in her pajamas, leaning forward on the railings looking up at the moon and stars in the cool late spring night.

 

“Couldn’t sleep?” Kyungsoo glanced over her shoulder when she noticed Chanyeol’s presence. “You are worried aren’t you?”

“Very worried.” Chanyeol confirmed, walking up to Kyungsoo and standing close to her till their arms brushed against each other under the sleeve of their clothes.

“We all knew this would happen. It’s just a matter of time.” Kyungsoo added, turning to look at Chanyeol.

“We’ll go together this time though. I’m not leaving you.” Chanyeol affirmed, firmly grasping Kyungsoo’s hand in his.

“I know you won’t.” Kyungsoo returned, without a hint of doubt in her voice or expression.

“I am scared though.” Chanyeol admitted, leaning his face in closer to Kyungsoo.

Kyungsoo lifted her hands off the railings and wrapped it around Chanyeol, pulling him into a warm embrace. “Do you want to be scared together then?”

“Okay then.” Chanyeol couldn’t help but grin and press his face against Kyungsoo’s nape, resting his head on her shoulders and appreciating the fact that they could be together still.

“If I had it my way, I wouldn’t want you to go.” Kyungsoo revealed “-but that would just be the same thing like what you did to me while I was pregnant. I’m not about to repeat the same thing even if letting you come with me is literally what I was trying to avoid all these while.”

Chanyeol sighed and pulled away from the hug, “You mean the part where you were supposed to find me and send me to possibly die in this war?”  

“I was given an ultimatum to find you and let you die in the war, instead of me. I never expected that you would be that same person or that I would fall in love with you.” Kyungsoo mentioned, returning to lean back on the railings. “It sure does make things complicated doesn’t it?”

“So they just want you to blow yourself up and they want me to wield the Holy Lance. I think Hell is benefitting from us actually.” Chanyeol pondered the thought.

“I never told you about the Holy Lance. Did Lucifer tell you about it?” Kyungsoo leaned back, her hands still on the railings to hold her weight up.

Chanyeol explained, “I saw it in the dream I told you about. I just didn’t know that the Holy Lance is in possession by the demons.”

“Ah, the sacred spear used to stab Jesus on the crucifix. Yes, we stole it from the Vatican hundreds of years ago. It’s the best weapon to kill demons so we took it of course for _safekeeping._ ” Kyungsoo confessed.

“Theft is a sin.” Chanyeol jokingly mentioned, reminding himself of the days not long ago when he was a man of the cloth. Chanyeol

“How more sinful can you get. You’re literally in Hell.” Kyungsoo shot back, chuckling lightly to herself.

 

Going back to sleep later that night, Kyungsoo brought Chan to bed with her and Chanyeol. Chan slept soundly in the middle of the bed in between both of his parents.

Chanyeol was lying down sideways in bed facing Kyungsoo and their son, as he reached out a hand to gently touch their faces. Kyungsoo was almost asleep and stirred awake, “Hmm…what is it?”

“Kyungsoo”, Chanyeol whispered softly to not wake Chan up, “Let’s actually get married when we come back from all this.”

“I’m not getting married in a church though.” Kyungsoo mumbled sleepily.

Chanyeol smiled back in return, even if he knows Kyungsoo had fallen asleep to see it. Chanyeol no longer cared for the circumstances, if he could have Kyungsoo and Chan together with him safely, that was all he could afford to ask for.

 

 

Not wanting to mortify Chanyeol’s mother yet, about the fact that her son who was supposedly a priest had a child out of wedlock, the decision was made to leave Chan in the care of Lucifer and Sehun who would be staying back on the island away from the battle. Kris and Suho themselves had been earlier deployed in the war. In Hell, it was customary for the older generation to fight instead of the younger generation. Despite being actually younger than Sehun, Chanyeol was still a part of the older generation due to being Lucifer’s son.

Goodbyes were never easy and Kyungsoo had personally not allowed Chan to be brought along to see her off when she left, for fear that she would change her mind. But Kyungsoo knew that if she wanted the world to be a safe place for the new generation to live in, sacrifices had to be made.

Slowly and bit by bit, Kyungsoo began to understand Chanyeol’s conviction and what was going through his mind when he decided to leave her back then. Kyungsoo only saw her side and how hurt she was, but now she realized what he was trying to do and how painful it was for him too. It was always easier said than done after all.

 

When the war was declared, the long bridge that connected the citadel fortress island to the mainland was burnt down and destroyed to prevent enemy forces from making their way to the stronghold. Travels had to be done through the sea and the army of Hell still controlled the navy as it is.

Aboard the deck on the ship, Baekhyun pulled out a chart and held it up in front of Kyungsoo. “Guess where they’re throwing us first thing in our mission?”

“Enlighten me.” Kyungsoo cackled, leaning on the pole of a mast.

“The capital city just outside the mountains where your favorite flowers grow.” Baekhyun pointed out to the location stated on the chart.

“Interesting.” Kyungsoo cooed, looking down to Chanyeol sitting on the floor beside her with his head between his legs. “Are you alright there?”

“Just a little bit seasick.” Chanyeol mumbled, leaning his head on his knee. “I’ll live.”

“I told you, you should have stayed with me instead because I don’t get seasick unlike he does.” Jongin commented, appearing from the cabin and walking in a wobbly manner, looking sick himself too.

Kyungsoo clicked her tongue, “Nobody invited you, Jongin. You can keep quiet.”

“Yeah, that’s right.” Baekhyun reiterated, crossing her arms across her chest with the chart in her hold still.

“What? Jongin is here?” Chanyeol looked up and asked no one in particular, noticing Jongin’s figure standing not far from them as the ship rocked slightly.

“I’m only here to make sure all of you come back alive.” Jongin emphasized, before curling up on the wooden deck obviously seasick.

“This is fun, isn’t it? We’re going to a war with both your ex and your current man.” Baekhyun nudged Kyungsoo with her elbow.

Kyungsoo laughed, “What’s more fun is how we all actually ended up here. Would you even foresee or predict this would all happen in a year? I’m not sure myself.”

 

 


	19. This world is a paradox of itself

 

Kyungsoo sat outside on the dry grass, her back to the corner of a wall of the white administrative building which served as the current base of operations in the east. She had been there almost a month and had yet to witness the frontlines because her expertise was needed in the command center.

It didn’t even feel like a war was going for Kyungsoo at least, but she was reminded of it every time a group of soldiers left in pristine condition and came back with injuries and fewer people. Only then did the situation hit her but she was mostly still and was disenchanted.

Kyungsoo did not only run the command center but also helped tend to the wounded soldiers and she had watched more than a few of them die in her arms. When the soldiers, _her_ soldiers died, Kyungsoo would sign and write condolences letters to their next of kin and praise the deceased for their service.

Kyungsoo couldn’t find it in herself to be alarmed and worried the least bit. It made her feel “evil” like she wasn’t able to be sad because of it even though she wanted badly too.

                                                                                                                    

Kyungsoo sat there alone in the warm summer air, pulling out the grass with her bare hands while her mind wandered about the state of Hell and whatnot.

“There you are,” Chanyeol announced, finally locating Kyungsoo’s whereabouts and walking around the corner of the wall to meet her.

“Hey”, Kyungsoo lifted her head up, acknowledging his presence. “Was anyone looking for me?”

Chanyeol sat cross-legged on the grass, joining Kyungsoo as he brushed some dirt off his black boots. “Baekhyun told me to look for you. She wanted me to check up on you if you were okay.”

“Does everyone think I’m not okay?” Kyungsoo leaned back and rested her head on the whitewashed stone walls.

Chanyeol hunched his shoulders forward, “We just wanted to make sure you are alright. Since you’re in charge here, we know you’re stressed with the responsibility.”

Kyungsoo stretched her legs in front of her. “I am alright. I just want this war to end already. It’s ironic of me to say this considering my profession but I don’t want any more people to die-” Kyungsoo couldn’t finish her sentence and what she was going to say when she too realized she could lose the man sitting beside her right now.

“Got something in mind?” Chanyeol inquired, seeing Kyungsoo’s face deep in thought.

“I think I do” Kyungsoo replied, resting her chin on the palm of her raised arm. “-but it might sound crazy.”

“Everything is crazy when it comes to you.” Chanyeol chuckled, holding a hand over his mouth.

“What do you say about becoming an exorcist working alongside a demon this time?” Kyungsoo suggested a spark of hope and desire lighting within her.

 

The day grew hotter as it progressed to noon, which was pretty normal for a typical summer day in eastern Hell. Kyungsoo was now sitting on the balcony to get some wind and cool air, as she was sweating in her uniform. It was a slow day and Kyungsoo was sort of grateful for that, considering that they were in the middle of a war. Kyungsoo was too calm and it felt ominous in the middle of a war.

Kyungsoo suspected that most of her task was relieved because Kris and his army division were just out on the field ahead of them nearer to the frontlines. Kyungsoo even wondered how the situation was out there now. The objective was to surround and close in on the separatist army and the regions under their control. It was easy with seven divisions that the army of Hell had, but they had to take into factor that they were also killing their very own people at the same time.

 

Kyungsoo did not have to wonder much when Alexandra, Kris’ assistant whom she hadn’t seen in over a year made her appearance. Alexandra had been dispatched on behalf of Kris to relay to Kyungsoo information. Kyungsoo couldn’t even be bothered to leave the balcony upon which she was sitting on even when she was informed of Alexandra’s arrival to see her.

“I didn’t know you were alive.” Kyungsoo snickered to herself, leaning on the stone guards of the balcony as she sat on the floor. “I still haven’t thanked you for not being able to find me while I was held hostage by an exorcist.”

Alexandra sighed, “The higher-ups were really pissed off at me for failing at that.”

Kyungsoo chuckled, “Thankfully for that ain’t it?”

“You look happy and I heard you had another kid,” Alexandra added.

“Thanks to you because you suck in looking for me.” Kyungsoo sarcastically mentioned, grinning towards the other woman. “So, what did Kris send you here for?”

Alexandra explained, “Our division has been instructed to pull out and return to the west by tomorrow. I don’t know why but it was Lucifer’s orders. That means yours will have to advance and be the one at the frontlines.”

Kyungsoo pondered the information for a few minutes in silence before she spoke up. “Oh, I know why exactly Lucifer is doing that.”

“Why do you think?” Alexandra genuinely asked.

“You’ll see,” Kyungsoo affirmed, getting up to stand. “Everything that happens is his will and we’re all just pawns.”

 

 

But Kyungsoo wasn’t having any of that. Not until she couldn’t stop it herself, Kyungsoo wouldn’t risk her soldier’s lives anymore to go out and fight a battle meant for her. It was the whole intention of the King after all. As much as Kyungsoo would wish Lucifer had more sense knocked into him, he wasn’t the demon king who betrayed God for nothing.

Kyungsoo stormed hastily into her private quarters which she shared with Chanyeol, who was not present at the moment. Kyungsoo pulled out the crimson cape she owned from the bottom of the wooden chest she had left it in. It had been over a year since she worn it and wearing it again with nothing but boots underneath sure did feel nostalgic.

Kyungsoo did miss her old life where it was about being feared as the “Great Bitch” who fought naked, ripped people’s throats off and literally fell off buildings. It was just that she had landed onto Chanyeol and her life sure did change from there. Kyungsoo wasn’t really deciding her life at this point.

As much as Kyungsoo felt like she wasn’t in control of her life, she only had one wish and one wish alone, and that was to make sure that she could save as many people as she could. Kyungsoo didn’t believe sacrifices were necessary and that they were totally avoidable.

 

At the bottom of the chest was also the Holy Lance wrapped in a white cloth which Chanyeol had brought with him, after having it gifted to him by Lucifer. Although Lucifer had not said anything, everyone was aware what exactly he had expected Chanyeol to do with it.

Kyungsoo pulled out the weapon from the bottom of the chest, still wrapped in the cloth over it. Kyungsoo didn’t dare to touch a holy relic such as that with her bare hands. Even with gloves, it would not render her immune to it. It would just delay the length it took to make her skin sting and burn.

 

Kyungsoo held the lid of the chest to slam it shut when she heard the door to the room close instead. Kyungsoo turned around and saw Chanyeol standing there looking rather confused.

“Where are you going with that?” Chanyeol questioned, straightening his shoulders. Although he could somewhat tell what she was really up to judged by the way she was dressed, or rather lack of dressing.

“You did hear that we have to advance to the frontlines in two days?” Kyungsoo noted, standing across the room from Chanyeol.

“I did. Looks like my dad is keen on killing us to end this war faster.” Chanyeol folded his arms across his chest on his white uniform.

“I’m going to stop that before it happens,” Kyungsoo stated, eyes peering to the side.

“What exactly do you plan to do?” Chanyeol inquired.

“The only resistance we face closest to us is a battalion of four hundred soldiers. They too have been maintaining their distance from our forces for a few days now. It looks like they’re planning on something and our forces will march right into them just when they are ready to exact out whatever they are planning. Lots of people from our side will die and I don’t want that to happen.”

Chanyeol bit his lower lip in thought, pondering his thought and speculation before he decided to speak. “So you want to go alone and kill them before they kill us?”

“I’m a hypocrite full of irony, Chanyeol. I have to kill to save more lives. That’s what I’ve always done and what I will continue to do.” Kyungsoo expressed.

Chanyeol added, “I know that. I’ve been aware of that since I met you. My only question is, how are you going to go alone against four hundred and god knows whatever they have in planned?”

“I don’t know. I’m just making this up as I go along.” Kyungsoo honestly answered.

 

 

As evening and night fell, Baekhyun went around the military station looking for Kyungsoo and Chanyeol in their quarters but found none of them there. Baekhyun asked around but no one had seen them within the past few hours. Relying on her hunch and inquisitive nature over knowing Kyungsoo for years, Baekhyun looked into the chest and saw that the cape and Holy Lance was missing. It wasn’t hard to put two and two together from there.  

 

 

Kyungsoo and Chanyeol were long gone and had even met up with Kris in his base to supply themselves before moving forward and were now literally hiding in a bush over a cliff peering over the enemy’s battalion in the grassy valley where the daisies grew.

A few watchful guards patrolling the area had come close to them, but Kyungsoo had swiftly taken care of them. It bought them some time before the enemy realized they were missing and their position was put in jeopardy.

“Have you changed your mind? Do you want to put clothes on now?” Chanyeol whispered, shifting the weight of the bag pack on his back. “Are you really going in there naked?”

“I’ve always gone into fights naked.” Kyungsoo insisted, whispering back to Chanyeol. “I don’t like blood on my clothes.”

“Okay, fine then. How are you going to get down there then?” Chanyeol pointed to below the cliff, peering in between the twigs in the bush they were hiding in aided by the darkness of the night.

“I’ll take care of that so don’t worry. You just do what I told you to do.” Kyungsoo firmly stated, pulling the lance out of Chanyeol’s grasp who attempted to pull it back.

“No. I can’t let you have this. It will only hurt you.” Chanyeol refused, not letting the lance go from his firm grasp.

“-but this is also the best weapon to defeat _them_.”

Chanyeol sighed in defeat and released his grasp from the lance from Kyungsoo’s words. “Fine. You have it then. Just don’t come back dead.”

“Dead people can’t come back so it’s not possible to come back at all.”

Chanyeol dryly chuckled. “Still making jokes even now?”

“Well, you were always the serious one so I have to take the role of the joker.” Kyungsoo leaned in to give a peck on Chanyeol’s cheek.

“Do your thing.” Chanyeol urged as he smiled to encourage her.

 

Kyungsoo ran off the cliff and jumped into the enemy base camp, literally falling into the frontlines just like she was always known for. Chanyeol could even barely see what was going on down there but he could hear the screams of people and fighting. Chanyeol tried to peek between the branches to see but could only make up moving shadows of the people.

As he was asked to do, Chanyeol took care of the few soldiers who tried to flee through the forest. Chanyeol didn’t really feel anything different about it. When he thought he was just a human, his job was killing demons. Even now, it was still about killing demons. He had been killing his own kind all these time anyway.

 

Chanyeol waited behind a tree, looking every now and then until Kyungsoo gave him the all clear signal. Chanyeol closed his eyes and prayed for the best, not even sure if God would listen to a demon’s prayers. It was still worth trying, however.

Soon, the whole valley plains and the forest surrounding it fell silent. Chanyeol double checked to make sure he wasn’t hearing wrongly but it was indeed silence. Growing alarmed and worried, Chanyeol was about to leave his hiding spot behind the tree when he heard the whistle sound; the all-clear signal from Kyungsoo they had decided upon.

Chanyeol ran to the massacred battalion’s camp with his bag pack of supplies on his back, using a hand to hold the bucket hat on his head in place. Chanyeol walked around the camp to find Kyungsoo and the hundreds of bloodied dead bodies lying on the ground, all of them with their throats crushed and ripped out.

Despite being desensitized to that, the permeating stench of blood and flesh in the air was hard to miss. Kyungsoo’s favorite white daisies were stained red with blood and wilted from being stepped on and having a makeshift military camp built there.

Chanyeol found Kyungsoo in a tent, standing over a table with her back turned to him where her black hair flowed down over her crimson cape almost reaching her waist. There too were a few dead bodies in the tent. Kyungsoo seemed to be reading a chart under the flickering gas lantern light.

 

“Kyungsoo”, Chanyeol called out as he approached her in the tent. “Are you alright?”

“I am alright. I just forgot how people love calling me a ‘Great Bitch’.” Kyungsoo sneered, clicking her tongue habitually. Kyungsoo glanced over her shoulders to look at Chanyeol. “Are you alright too?”

“I’m okay” Chanyeol stood proudly, puffing his chest out despite the weight of the standard military issued bag on his back. “I took care of the two or three people that tried to flee.”

“You did well” Kyungsoo asserted, looking back to the charts in her hand.

“What is that?” Chanyeol asked, moving closer to Kyungsoo to look at what seemed like a chart or map with illustrations and some words Chanyeol struggled to read. He memorized the characters but still took some time to read it.

“This is a map for their planned movements and strategies. They’re not heading east to our base; they’re actually pushing to the west to attack the island.” Kyungsoo averted her gaze from the chart in her hand to Chanyeol standing beside her, looking up to meet his eyes.

Chanyeol seemed to be studying the map, reading whatever he could catch on, “That’s bad if they make it there. If they can take over the island, it’s basically a defeat for us.”

“Exactly” Kyungsoo affirmed as she rolled the chart into a tube. “We have to relay the information and leave for the west immediately. The naval port is in the west and if they control it, they can make land on the island easily. Everyone else can fight but we have a six-month old child there.”

Chanyeol saw and indeed noticed the alarm and fear in Kyungsoo’s eyes but he also noticed her motivation and determination. It was the fear that drove her to move forward and keep fighting. Fear did not restrain her.

 

On the way back to their own base camp, Kyungsoo and Chanyeol stopped by Kris’ camp to inform him of the new information and findings they had discovered regarding their enemy’s movements. A change of plans and strategy had to be made.

Chanyeol had painfully tried to persuade Kyungsoo to put clothes on at least before she went there, which she reluctantly agreed to in the end just to please him.

 

Chanyeol waited outside the tent while Kris conversed with Kyungsoo and the other military officers regarding the change of plans. Chanyeol could hear them from outside and pressed his ear close to eavesdrop on them, although he knew Kyungsoo would just tell him everything later on.

“Kyungsoo, I believe it’s more formidable for you to wait out here in the east especially since we now know our enemies are pushing west. If you return to the island and defend the western lines that would be what Lucifer exactly wants you- to die for.” Kris was heard saying exasperatedly.

“This war will just be prolonged and the longer it goes on, the more people will die if I hide here any longer,” Kyungsoo stressed. “Mother is on the western lines, I’ll be able to team up with her when I’m there.”

Kris further asserted, “Kyungsoo, doing that would defeat the entire purpose. We purposely do this to stop you from entering the battlefront. None of us likes that old fart anyway and although we can’t disobey him, we can bend the rules around. Everyone else has been treating you like an object and a means to an end when you were born with black hair. They only let you live this long so they can kill you for their own benefit now.”

“I know and I appreciate that you and the others have been trying to protect me but I cannot let this go on any longer. It has to be stopped so we can save everyone.” Kyungsoo insisted. “We’ll all come back from this I promise.”

Chanyeol was peeking through the tent now and saw how Kyungsoo had balled up and clenched her fists as she made the statement.

 

 

It rained on the way back from Kris’ camp and onward to their own operational base. Only mud and dirt roads linked the two camps together. The rain made it worse and the muddy ground even soggier and untraversable as it formed deep puddles and sunk under the weight. The horses used for transport were unable to pass through either, thus halting their journey.

Chanyeol and Kyungsoo decided to take shade under the trees in the forest while they waited for the rain to stop. They were in no rush either as the recent news had been sent over by radio to their own camp from Kris’ camp, where Jongin who was in charge would have heard of it by now. When it came to duty, Kyungsoo could rely on Jongin at least.

 

The horses were tied to a tree stump where they could graze on the grass while Chanyeol and Kyungsoo sat close to each other under a shady tree in their raincoats. Kyungsoo hugged her legs as she rocked back and forth.

“Are you alright?” Chanyeol cautioned, moving in to sit closer to her. “I heard what you and Kris were talking about.”

“I’m sure you did.” Kyungsoo snickered to herself looking onto the ground.

“My father really is an ass isn’t he.” Chanyeol had to state the obvious.

“What do you think? He’s the demon king. He’s why we demons are perceived as bad in the first place.” Kyungsoo added.

“-but to go as far as kill you despite how much you’ve contributed to Hell” Chanyeol continued.

Kyungsoo clarified, “Chanyeol, he had you so just he could use you as a weapon. You are his son, his flesh, and blood. I am just a cursed outsider. If he could do that to you, he can do even worse to me.”

 “I won’t let that happen, I promise.” Chanyeol grabbed Kyungsoo’s cold hand into his and held it tight. “You said we’ll all come back from this after all. Chan and everyone else is waiting for us.”

“Wake me up when the rain stops” Kyungsoo hummed in agreement as she leaned her head under the cape of the raincoat on Chanyeol’s shoulder.

Kyungsoo fell asleep fast due to how tired she was, not a surprise considering the amount of work she had done that night. The enemy would soon find out what had happened and Kyungsoo was ready to be at the receiving end of their wrath. Someone had to do the job after all.

 

The rain stopped shortly later but Chanyeol did not wake Kyungsoo up like she had asked to, not until the break of dawn several hours later. Chanyeol dozed in and out of sleep throughout the night. He wanted Kyungsoo to get enough rest especially considering the large decisive battle they would have to go through next. There would hardly be any more time for them to just be together in peace and quiet after this.

Then, hopefully once that was all over, they could all go home and finally have that world where nothing and circumstances didn’t really matter. Chanyeol knew Kyungsoo was way stronger than him, but it didn’t stop him from wanting to protect her even more.

 

 

The changes of plans were announced and put into place. Kris and his division would remain in the east while Jongin would be taking over authority on Kyungsoo’s division, also remaining in the east. Only Kyungsoo, Chanyeol, and Baekhyun would return to the west even after Jongin had demanded to come with them, angered that Lucifer would be putting Kyungsoo closer to the battlefront than ever.

 

After a few days of travel, they made it to the shorelines where a naval ship would come to pick them up to bring them back to the citadel island.

While waiting for the ship to arrive, Kyungsoo was kicking around a pebble she found on the beach with her foot when Baekhyun approached her to talk. They had made Chanyeol stand on a sand dune with a pair of binoculars to watch out for the ship because his height made him a good watch guard.

“Yes, my dear Baekhyun? How can I help you?” Kyungsoo acknowledged Baekhyun walking up to her.

“You’re too calm, you scare me.” Baekhyun noticed. “I feel like I’m the one freaking out here.”

Kyungsoo walked up to Baekhyun and patted her best friend on the back. “There there. It’s alright to be scared. I promise we’ll all come back from this together.”

“I know you’re fighting for all of us. You keep saying that but did you even include yourself in ‘we’? You never said anything about saving yourself even when your life is a concern here?” Baekhyun expressed her thoughts.

 

Kyungsoo did not answer Baekhyun’s question, diverting her gaze to the sandy ground and the pushed aside pebble. Kyungsoo did not even bother to tuck back her hair behind her ears when the breeze made a mess out of it.

Kyungsoo lifted her head to look at Chanyeol in the distance acting as the human watchtower, before returning to face Baekhyun again.

Kyungsoo placed a hand on her shoulder; feeling surrounded and confronted, “Uh…Chanyeol said something didn’t he?”

“Oh yes he did but even if he didn’t, I have known you long enough to figure out what you’re thinking about now.” Baekhyun firmly revealed.

“-but” Kyungsoo was cut off by Baekhyun.

“No ‘but’. You want to save everyone but not yourself. If that’s the case, then we will save you too.” Baekhyun firmly announced, without hesitation or even a shred of doubt.

 

Kyungsoo saw that Chanyeol was looking towards them too with a grin on his face, obviously knowing what was up. Chanyeol had really told Baekhyun to confront Kyungsoo about this too.

Kyungsoo dryly chuckled before she laughed with a hand held over her mouth, against the sound of the waves lapping against the beach and the sea breeze blowing. It wasn’t funny but Kyungsoo laughed because the world was so cruel yet so beautiful.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is the last. If nothing else happens, it will be posted within the next two weeks.


	20. It wasn't raining

 

_“ What do you mean you’re leaving?” Jongin shouted, from the top of the stairs in the house he used to live in with Kyungsoo towards the end of their marriage._

_“Leaving is well leaving.” Kyungsoo sarcastically retorted. “We’re getting a divorce. You don’t expect me to be hanging around here still after that, don’t you?”_

_“Where can someone like you actually go? Your position, rank and the fact that you’re still alive is all thanks to me!” Jongin firmly stated, full of arrogance and his sense of entitlement._

_“That may be true so don’t you think it’s time I started being independent for myself?”  Kyungsoo tried to negotiate._

_“You will die out there! Someone like you wasn’t supposed to exist or even live this long!” Jongin bellowed, hastily walking down the stairs to meet Kyungsoo at the bottom._

_Kyungsoo quickly walked backward, putting more distance between herself and Jongin till her back met a wall and he had her surrounded. Jongin tried to stare down Kyungsoo but she was not letting down anytime soon._

_“If that is so, then why did you help me stay alive this long?” Kyungsoo questioned. “If you can actually answer me, I might stay.”_

_Jongin did not answer Kyungsoo, even though he knew the answer to it very well like the back of his palm. Kyungsoo left that day and she never returned to his arms as his wife, but she was always family to him. Jongin didn’t even know when he just started accepted things as it is._

 

 

Baekhyun tapped Kyungsoo lightly on the shoulder to wake her up. Kyungsoo was asleep on a hammock below the ship’s deck, en route back to the citadel island. The journey by ship took almost six hours and not having enough sleep from the previous night, Kyungsoo continued sleeping until they arrived.

Kyungsoo stirred awake and muttered groggily, “Yes?”

“We’re almost here. The ship is making port soon.” Baekhyun answered.

Kyungsoo yawned, “Well then.”

Kyungsoo got up and walked the stairs up to the deck where she saw Chanyeol talking over to the captain of the ship. Kyungsoo looked ahead and she could see the looming tall cliff and the beach below. The place where Chanyeol had said the last battle would supposedly take place at. Right now, the possibilities of it becoming true seemed even greater.

Kyungsoo’s eyes followed the view of the cliffs even as the ship sailed past, making way to the port. She was here at least and if the final fight did take place here, Kyungsoo would just do accordingly. Even she was unsure and unable to predict a possible outcome for them.

 

 

For the first time in months, Kyungsoo stepped in the old lodge which had been her home while on the island. Not just her home, but also Chanyeol’s, Baekhyun’s, Sehun’s and Chan’s. They were no conventional family but they were no less happy.

Sehun greeted them at the door with Chan and they were happily reunited with each other yet again. If Kyungsoo had to die, she wasn’t really scared about it. But when she saw everyone else again together, happy and laughing with each other like it was supposed to be; Kyungsoo suddenly felt scared of losing all of this. If she could not see this view again in her life, then that would be a waste of a lifetime.

 

 

_Kyungsoo remembered the day she entered the military academy at around nineteen years old. She had a private tutor to teach her at home all these years because her family was scared of her being bullied for the color of her hair._

_Kyungsoo’s family which was really just Kris and Suho had suggested she wore a wig, one which Kris had bought in the human world. Hair dye had not been invented in the human world yet and Kyungsoo couldn’t say she didn’t try when it first emerged because it just didn’t work on demons._

_Everyone had heard rumors of the famed demon born with black hair, but no one had yet to actually meet the said demon which was Kyungsoo. All heads turned and every mouth went silent in the academy hall when Kyungsoo walked up to the front to report her registration and enlistment. All eyes were on her and Kyungsoo thought she would just make a statement by leaving her long hair undone._

_“You’re pretty.” Kyungsoo heard a springy voice behind her and turned around to see who would soon be her best friend, Baekhyun._

_“Uh-thanks?” Kyungsoo muttered, unsure whether Baekhyun was being serious._

_“I go by the name Baekhyun and I like women so-“ Baekhyun laughed and held out a hand. “I’m sorry I tried to hit on you but I just thought I should say it because your hair does make you look very nice.”_

_“I see. I’m not gay though. I’m sorry.” Kyungsoo too chuckled and shook Baekhyun’s hand._

_“That’s alright. It doesn’t mean we can’t be friends.” Baekhyun grinned widely. “Did you pick out a room yet? Do you want to be roommates?”_

_“Sure of course. I’d love to.” Kyungsoo piped up excited that she had actually made a friend._

_Kyungsoo_ _was slightly pushed_ _aside when an unknown tall man bumped into her in that crowded wall. Baekhyun promptly pulled Kyungsoo aside to get her away from him._

_“Sorry” the man mumbled, regaining his composure and suddenly realizing the color of Kyungsoo’s hair color. “Whoa”, he blurted out staring in awe._

_“She’s not an object for you to stare at like that.” Baekhyun firmly stated, being protective of Kyungsoo despite having only met._

_“I am the future King of Hell. You better watch your mouth around me.” Jongin snapped, attempting to intimidate Baekhyun._

_Baekhyun only rolled her eyes and promptly brought herself and Kyungsoo away from the area, at what would be the start of their long strong friendship._

 

 

They were back at the island away from the battle but it was no holiday for them for sure. If anything, tension and stress were higher despite the so long peaceful façade surrounding them. Meetings and councils of the military leaders went on as they had to make new plans and moves to end the war.

Suspiciously but not surprisingly, Kyungsoo wasn’t invited to these meetings despite being a so-called general. Not that she complained because it meant saving herself from a headache and getting to spend more time with Chan, whom she had been away from for quite a while now.

Instead, it was Chanyeol who was summoned to the palace under orders of his father, Lucifer.

 

Chanyeol arrived at the meeting place in the palace as ordered, in a high tower with a meeting room overlooking the vast ocean through one window and the entire citadel through the other. It was a plainly decorated room with a rug in the middle of the room below an oval wooden table with several chairs.

Lucifer was not alone. He was accompanied by two men dressed in black with dark hair sitting close together and quietly at the table. Their black clothes contrasted the pristine white uniform clothes that demon wore instead.

 

“What is all these?” Chanyeol looked around the small meeting room, looking for anyone else that could be there. Chanyeol wasn’t told he would be meeting other people.

“These two are angels, emissaries from Heaven itself.” Lucifer calmly introduced, sitting in his designated seat.

 “-and what would they be doing here out of all places?” Chanyeol too took his seat, pulling out his chair and sat facing the two angels.

“I’ll let them do the talking instead.” Lucifer waved his hand inattentively.

“Good afternoon, I’m Yixing. I am an archangel, meaning I’m one of the higher ranking angels. We do not have a royal family in Heaven so I hope you don’t mind that I won’t be addressing you as a prince and such”, the angel who introduced himself as Yixing stated.

“I’m Tao”, the other angel answered before turning to look away from Chanyeol.

“Excuse him. He doesn’t really talk much.” Yixing grinned and patted Tao on the back.

 

Under previous circumstances, Chanyeol would have been in awe to finally get to see not just one but two angels. It was his lifelong dream other than going to heaven after a lifelong servitude towards God and religion. Circumstances were very different now and Chanyeol found his place and home right here in Hell.

“That still doesn’t answer my question” Chanyeol insisted, finding himself not really trusting anyone in that room.

“Patience, child. We are here because your father here personally requested for us to assist you with a matter”, Yixing added with the grin still plastered on his face.

Chanyeol eyed Lucifer from the corner of his eye, who didn’t seem like he was paying attention to the conversation anyway before returning to the angels, “-and what would that be?”

“Would you entrust us to care for your son, Chan?” Yixing suggested, still grinning wide.

“I believe my wife and I are capable enough to take care of our own son. No thank you.” Chanyeol promptly refused.

“It’s not like that.” Yixing shook his head, “We’ll just babysit him temporarily because soon enough this island here that you think is safe will turn into a battlefield. We angels have seen it coming and we are offering help to you. There will be no safe place in Hell not until you demons can end your own civil war.”

“What interests an angel to assist us demons? What have I done to warrant such a treatment?” Chanyeol raised his voice, his deep raspy voice giving out an aura of authority and intimidation.

Yixing began to explain and assured, “Don’t be mistaken. We’re not doing this for you. We actually want to help that ‘wife’ of yours. I’m sure you know her abilities are more similar to that of an angel instead of a demon. We have tried to recruit her into our ranks but she is very loyal to Hell. Despite that, we still consider her as one of our own. That is why we will help watch over your son for you because we believe he too possesses his mother’s ability. Angels watch over other angels.”

“We are demons” Chanyeol firmly insisted, almost angrily and slightly feeling insulted as if he wasn’t fully capable of caring for his own child.

“We know we know” Yixing nodded his head, followed by Tao despite the latter’s silence. “You may be demons and hesitant to accept outside help but I’m sure you trust us to don’t you? After all, you’ve spent almost your entire life praying to us and we haven’t really failed you, have we?”

 

 

Kyungsoo sat outside alone on the wooden bench in the gardens watching the sunset and the sky grew dark, as the stars and moon began to appear. It was quiet and peaceful there but despite that, the peace was eerie and sort of off-putting.

Even when it was too dark to see and the only source of light came from the windows of the house, Kyungsoo remained sitting there facing the entrance pathway waiting for Chanyeol to return. Kyungsoo knew what he was at the palace for, even if she wasn’t invited to be there. It wasn’t that hard since Lucifer had asked her to meet the angels too earlier on but separately from Chanyeol.

Kyungsoo decided to wait a little bit more before she decided to return inside the house. That was when she saw the flickering of the gas lantern in the distance and a shadowy figure walking up the path.

Kyungsoo got up from her seat and headed towards who she knew it to be Chanyeol, approaching him, “Good evening”, Kyungsoo greeted with a smile.

Chanyeol raised his lantern slightly and smiled too, “Good evening, my dear wife.”

“Wife huh”, Kyungsoo snickered.

“I know we’re not legally married but I do consider you my wife.” Chanyeol insisted, pushing away a strand of hair that fell on Kyungsoo’s face.

“Should I greet you as my dear husband then too?” Kyungsoo half-joked.

“If you want to or you can call me, Father Park.” Chanyeol puffed out his chest and pretended to be serious.

“Haha, then should I start wearing my cape and running around while you try to exorcise me?” Kyungsoo laughed out loud.

“You miss those days? Do you want to relive it then?” Chanyeol teased.

“Maybe after a shower because you stink, Father Park”. Kyungsoo laughed to herself, lightly tugging on Chanyeol’s hand to walk back to the house.  

 

Arriving at the house, Kyungsoo offered to feed Chan his meal while Chanyeol showered even though he offered to help with the task initially. Baekhyun was already cooking dinner and a special meal aside for Chan, while Sehun watched over his younger brother.

“I’ll feed the kid. You just go” Baekhyun shooed away Kyungsoo with a ladle in her hand.

“Yeah, it’s alright. We’ll do it. You need to rest more” Sehun suggested, sitting Chan up in his lap.

“Fine”, Kyungsoo raised her arms and left the kitchen.

 

Kyungsoo didn’t argue, knowing they could fully care for Chan, and walked up the stairs leading to the second floor to look for Chanyeol. Kyungsoo didn’t find Chanyeol in their room and passed by the shower room where she heard the sound of the water running.

Kyungsoo laid a hand on the cold brass handle of the door leading to the shower, knowing Chanyeol never locked the door when he showered. Kyungsoo inhaled deeply before turning the handle and stepping into the shower, where a rush of steam met her face and the air significantly more damp and humid.

Chanyeol did not hear Kyungsoo walking in; he was facing away from the door too to see. Kyungsoo quietly shut the door behind her and stopped just a foot away from the running shower head and the spray of the water, behind Chanyeol’s naked back.

Kyungsoo heaved a sigh which was loud enough for Chanyeol to hear her. Chanyeol turned around, blinking his eyes from the water and stepped out from the shower.

“Kyungsoo?” Chanyeol called out, acknowledging her presence.

Kyungsoo looked up to meet Chanyeol’s eyes, “Yeah.”

“Do you want to shower too?” Chanyeol asked, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand.

“No. I just wanted to see you” Kyungsoo stated as she began to strip herself of her clothes and threw it onto the soaked floor.

Chanyeol only looked on, unsure of what to make of Kyungsoo’s statement and her contradicting actions of undressing herself as if she too wanted to shower. Once Kyungsoo had gotten rid of her clothing, she ran into Chanyeol’s arms and buried her face in his shoulders as she began to sob and wail like a lost child.

Chanyeol didn’t even have to ask. He knew what her tears were for. Chanyeol ran a wet hand up and down her back to comfort and reassure her. “It’s alright. I’m here. You can cry all you want.”

Kyungsoo nodded, her forehead pressed against Chanyeol’s shoulder as she felt all the accumulated stress she had been holding in bursting out from her. Chanyeol pressed his cheek against the side of Kyungsoo’s head, resting his face there as he continuously comforted her with his arms around her hips.

When they got tired of standing and their feet cold on the tiles, Chanyeol sat on the floor of the shower with the warm water running from above them and sprinkling them on like rain. Kyungsoo laid down on the floor, resting her head on Chanyeol’s thighs under the shower as he placed a hand on her shoulder. It wasn’t the most comfortable place but it was serene, and they were quiet amidst the sound of the falling water hitting the floor and splashing off the walls.

 

After spending what felt like a really long time in the shower, Chanyeol and Kyungsoo finally dried off, got dressed and went down to the kitchen to have dinner.

“There you are. I was just going to go up and look for the both of you.” Baekhyun mentioned, fixing the plates on the table and slightly shaking her head.

“Thank you for being considerate“, Kyungsoo teasingly mentioned.

 

 

Chan had his dinner first already while his parents were in the shower, which Sehun helped to feed while Baekhyun prepared the rest of the meals. Now, it was the adults turn to have their dinner, while Chan sat in his own chair beside them.

Laughter, chatter, and joy filled the dining area even though Baekhyun’s cooking was mediocre at best. Good company beat that anytime and it was certainly better to be sitting there with bland food than in the middle of a battlefield not knowing when your last meal would be.

 

The sound of a frog croaking could be heard from outside the window from where they sat at.

 

“Is it going to rain tonight?” Sehun glanced over his shoulder to face the window.

“It was pretty windy outside but I'm not so sure”, Kyungsoo seconded.

“I took the laundry in so it should be fine even if it rains,” Baekhyun mentioned, looking up from her plate.

 

Chanyeol leaned his head nearer to the window, his pointy ears twitching attentively as he tried to locate the sound of the frog.

“I think it's just below the window outside, from here,” Chanyeol stated as he got up from his seat and walked towards the window to open it.

“What is?” Kyungsoo asked, her head turning to see what he was up to.

“The frog is”, Chanyeol replied.

 

Without saying anything more, Chanyeol unhooked the latch on the window and leaned out the window to bend down and look on the ground before he somehow managed to catch the frog with both hands before it leaped away.

Grinning to himself, Chanyeol hoisted the poor frog up and turned around back to the dining room and set the frog down on the table, where it began to leap and croak around on the table.

Chan began crying because he was scared of seeing the frog while Sehun kept on laughing at it.

“Chanyeol, fuck you that's not funny. Baekhyun had leaped away from the table and begun muttering curses towards Chanyeol while he joined in the laughter. 

“It's just a frog.” Chanyeol laughed so hard till his sides began to hurt.

 

Kyungsoo had picked Chan up from his baby chair and was trying to calm him down while the adults had a field of a time. Kyungsoo chuckled lightly, alongside them. She wasn't annoyed or irritated by it despite Baekhyun’s disagreement toward it.

Everyone was happy, safe and sound. It was moments like these that made life worthwhile and to see moments like this was what Kyungsoo fought for.

 

 

 

_Kyungsoo also remembered the first few weeks she was practically a hostage at Chanyeol’s place, while she was still recovering from her injuries and unable to escape from him. It was an awkward living arrangement, especially with Kyungsoo sleeping on Chanyeol’s bed while he slept on a mat on the floor beside her to prevent her from escaping._

_It rained a lot in Seoul that time of the year, and there was a thunderstorm almost every two or three nights. Kyungsoo had always been startled awake whenever there was one. That one night was no exception._

_The loud thunder clapped and the flash of lightning cracked in the distance which woke Kyungsoo up. Kyungsoo laughed silently to herself when she woke up and remembered where she was. The sound of the rain pattering against the glass panes didn’t stop Chanyeol from sleeping soundly on the warm floor._

_Kyungsoo reveled in the fact that at least she wasn’t alone there. Chanyeol’s presence comforted her even if they were sworn enemies, mostly just on Chanyeol’s part._

_Kyungsoo saw the flash of lightning before the sound of the thunder and closed her eyes, bracing for the booming sound which followed seconds later. Kyungsoo tensed up and flinched slightly when she heard the clapping of the thunder which woke up Chanyeol too this time._

_Chanyeol saw that Kyungsoo was awake and immediately sat up from his sleeping mat. He didn’t trust Kyungsoo yet and was sort of scared she’d kill him in his sleep despite the precautions he had taken._

_“Good morning, sunshine,” Kyungsoo sarcastically mentioned when she saw Chanyeol woke up._

_“Why aren’t you asleep?” Chanyeol’s eyes slowly adjusted to the dark as he located his spear and prepared himself to reach for it any second should he need to._

_“Same reason you are awake now”, Kyungsoo huffed and returned to lie down on her side facing Chanyeol._

_“Go back to sleep then”, Chanyeol commanded, fixing his blanket over himself and lying down on his back facing the ceiling._

_Kyungsoo scurried herself to the edge of the bed so she was closer to Chanyeol, “Why don’t you read me a story? Maybe I’ll be able to go to sleep then?” Kyungsoo was mostly joking, just wanting to tease Chanyeol._

_Annoyed, Chanyeol got up again, sitting up, “I’ll read if the bible if you won’t let me sleep.”_

_“Sure. Choose your favorite verse”, Kyungsoo reacted calmly._

 

Chanyeol, of course, _did not have the heart to do_ that _and ended up showing her some comedy skit on his phone from a popular TV show he used to watch years ago. Chanyeol had watched it quite a few times and didn’t laugh at it anymore, but Kyungsoo certainly did. Chanyeol caught himself smiling at Kyungsoo but immediately straightened his face and pretending he never even did that._

_It helped because Kyungsoo did fall asleep first just a few hours before dawn. Chanyeol did not however and just laid down on his sleeping mat as night turned into day, pondering to himself and occupied in his thought that there was a chance he might be wrong about what he thought of demons._

 

 

When Kyungsoo felt better, she talked it over with Chanyeol and even sought advice from her mother and uncle. It would be selfish to keep Chan here in Hell especially when their so-called retreat would soon see the face of the war.

It wasn’t an easy choice but it was for the better and Chan was handed away to the angels to be taken care of until the war over. Kyungsoo’s strong façade ended once she broke down into tears at the Hell Gate when the angels left with her son. Kyungsoo had cried when someone left her at the Hell Gate the last time, but this time Chanyeol was here. Kyungsoo had never expected or wanted it to happen again, especially not in this context.

Kyungsoo crouched on the ground, hair falling over her face and cupping a hand over her mouth as she sobbed again for the umpteenth time that week. Chanyeol was sad too but he couldn’t break down now, not when Kyungsoo needed him more. When someone else was more inconvenienced than he was, Chanyeol pushed all his matters aside to assist them.

Chanyeol dropped to the ground too to hug Kyungsoo as she silently sobbed. After a while, Kyungsoo gently pushed Chanyeol away and got up, wiping off her tears with the sleeve of her shirt and brushing off imaginary dust from her uniform.

Kyungsoo’s eyes were obviously red and sore from all the crying, “It’s alright. I’m okay.”

Chanyeol now too stood up and had placed a hand on her back as he watched over Kyungsoo, “Really?”

“Yes, really”, Kyungsoo nodded, wiping her eyes off with her finger. Kyungsoo looked up to Chanyeol and smiled fondly. “I’m strong enough. We can do this. We’ll end the war so we can be a family again.”

 

 

The emotional burden was heavy and mentally exhausting. Due to that, Kyungsoo fell asleep early and very fast that night, while hugging one of Chan’s stuffed toys with her. Chanyeol went to bed sometime after Kyungsoo, hugging and holding her close in his sleep, pretending as if Chan was there too and that they were together as a family.

If anything, Chanyeol thought, Chan was the real victim here.

 

 

Kyungsoo woke up early that morning before Chanyeol did and went to work on the eastern naval base port on the island. That day, Chanyeol was to be stationed at the western port on the other side of the island.

Baekhyun followed Kyungsoo to work that morning and they spent the first half of the day looking through logs, maps and troop movements in the base office by the docks. The enemy’s forces were dwindling, but they were advancing westwards towards the stronghold island despite pushed on.

The eastern port was heavily fortified to brace for an attack any moment, suspecting that if the enemy were to strike, that would be the first place they would land. Kyungsoo was now in charge of commandeering the entire naval port on the eastern side of the island.

 

A soldier came into the office to tell Kyungsoo a military ship from the mainland was spotted and would be making port soon, before handing her the planned schedule for ship movements in and out the port for the day. Kyungsoo carefully inspected the charts while Baekhyun worked alongside her.

“Hmm…” Kyungsoo hummed when she noticed something off with the charts.

“What’s up?” Baekhyun pressed the end of her pen to her chin as she flipped through the log books.

“Is it me or did someone come in here to say a ship is making port soon?” Kyungsoo asked to make sure.

“Yes”, Baekhyun looked towards the ticking clock on the wall of the office. “It should be here anytime soon. Why?”

“No ship is supposed to make port till noon.” Kyungsoo alarmed and immediately left the room to go out to the watchtower followed by Baekhyun behind her.

 

Kyungsoo ran up the winding flight of stairs till she reached the top of the watchtower, where another soldier was on watch duty.

“Step aside”, Kyungsoo ordered as she stepped in front of the telescope to look towards the sea.

The soldier complied and moved aside, nodding, “Yes ma'am.”

“What do you see?” Baekhyun asked, peering over Kyungsoo’s shoulders.

“The ship has the military sails. No military ship is supposed to be making port now, however”, Kyungsoo hissed, sending Baekhyun and the soldier standing by slightly surprised.

“The ship was hijacked”, Baekhyun realized, surprised and shocked.

“Shit. Shut the ports down. Do not let that ship in. It’s not a friendly!” Kyungsoo alarmed, panic and fear rising within her as the ship slowly arrived into the harbor and the gate was raised to let it pass through.

The soldier with them immediately rushed to the bell on top of the tower, ringing it repeatedly to signify an emergency and that the port should be shut down immediately. Kyungsoo followed by Baekhyun ran down the stairs again to make it to the command center when a loud blast was heard and the tower shook from the shockwave.

 

Kyungsoo and Baekhyun lost their footing and fell down several steps as dust and debris flew around them, while they grabbed onto the railings and tried to stand up again. At least the tower didn’t topple with them in it. They knew a cannon had been fired near them and they could begin to hear the following fires and sound of fighting.

“Can you get up?”, Kyungsoo tried to lift a limping Baekhyun by the arms.

“Yes, I can. You go.” Baekhyun pushed Kyungsoo by the chest, getting her to leave. “You command this place. Go!”

Kyungsoo nodded and although she felt guilty leaving Baekhyun behind, she knew there was something else she had to. Kyungsoo ran out of the tower where she could see the destruction from the cannons that had been fired into the port because the hijacked ship had been able to pass through. It just wasn’t the buildings that were damaged. A few of the navy ships were sinking due to being fired at.

There were injured and dead people trapped under the debris, bodies floating in the water and people lying bleeding on the ground while the other soldiers scurried to their positions and to defend the port. The archers from the towers had fired on the invading ship and her crew, and they were assumedly successful because the military soldiers had managed to board and seize the vessel.

 

Kyungsoo rushed into the chaotic command office, ignoring all the other officers who ran up to her and were all arguing and panicking, asking Kyungsoo what to do or telling her what she should do instead.

“Shut up”, Kyungsoo yelled, before she was able to get them to be quiet. Kyungsoo connected the radio for an emergency broadcast to all the military divisions and generals to inform them the island had been breached and attacked.

 

 

“We’ll send our fleet to the island now”, Suho firmly stated over the radio when she heard the broadcast from her base at the port on the mainland. Suho slammed her fist down on the table in rage, knowing that the ship had to come from her port and she was probably to blame for it.

 

Jongin was speechless and stunned for a moment when he heard the broadcast. He had been denying to himself that the island would ever come under attack, but now that was the reality. Jongin stammered when he picked up the microphone to announce, “We’re far inland here. We’ll send assistance but it’ll take us over two days to reach there.”

 

Kris who was out in a battle himself in the valley plains heard the news when Alexandra ran over to inform him of the broadcast.

“We can’t go help them now, sweetie.” Kris shook his head among the sounds of the fire and explosion.

“Then what do we do? Kyungsoo is there!” Alexandra ducked and covered her ears at the sound of another explosion.

Kris looked up to the sky calmly, “If we lose here, it will be more trouble from them there. So we have to win here too. Do you think God will answer our prayers?” Kris chuckled dryly to himself.

 

 

Chanyeol too heard the broadcast from the command center on the port on the west side of the island. Chanyeol was about to return the broadcast to offer help when his frightened and shaky assistant entered the office and he heard the sounds of the emergency bells being rung.

“S-sir. I-I think you want to l-look outside the window.”

Chanyeol looked out the window and saw an entire fleet of ships near the horizon with white sails like he had seen in his dream. Chanyeol closed his eyes when he realized the truth. They were the real target, the west port, not the east port. The lone attack on the east port was nothing but a decoy to direct all the forces there.

The enemy forces had built their own navy and were ready to conquer the island which Lucifer resided on. If one could conquer Lucifer’s stronghold, they would conquer all of Hell.

Chanyeol shakily responded to the broadcast, “Kyungsoo. I’m sorry but I don’t think we can send help there. It was a decoy. We have a fleet coming towards us now. I’m sorry, Kyungsoo. I love you. Please do not come here.”

Chanyeol ended the broadcast to Kyungsoo to air another one to his troops, “Fire at will upon the enemy”

 

Drowned out by the sounds of cannon fired upon each other and the command center itself now shaking, Chanyeol ordered his assistant to run for his life.

“Then what about you, sir?” Chanyeol’s shaky assistant hesitated, not wanting to leave him alone.

Chanyeol picked up the holy lance on his desk, “I will die so no one else has to.”

“But sir-“

“No. Just go. Please tell Kyungsoo I love her.” Chanyeol pushed his assistant out of the door. “Live please.”

 

 

Kyungsoo heard the broadcast from Chanyeol and was shocked for a split second before she realized there was no time for that. Kyungsoo quickly redirected all the assistance coming towards her base to Chanyeol’s base instead.

Baekhyun stumbled through the door, slightly holding onto her limping leg, “Go.”

“What?” Kyungsoo looked confused and so frightened.

“I heard the broadcast. I’m second in command so I can run this base. You go with the reinforcements to the west port. Chanyeol is there, isn’t he? You are the Great Bitch so go live up to that name, bitch.” Baekhyun smiled weakly.

“Thank you”, Kyungsoo thanked with tears in her eyes as she grabbed for her crimson cape lying on a chair which had fallen to the ground.

“Just go and come back alive.” Baekhyun too held back her tears painfully, promptly wiping it off with her sleeve and cracking her knuckles, “Let’s get to work. We have a country to save.”

 

Kyungsoo ran to the stables to get a horse to ride to the west port. The journey would still take about half an hour even with the fastest horse Hell had to offer.

“Mom! Mom!”  Kyungsoo heard Sehun’s voice call out for her.

Kyungsoo saw Sehun standing at the entrance to the stable, waving to her. “No. Come here. I have this.”

“Sehun? You should be home!” Kyungsoo alarmed.

“I got this from the human world. You’ll get to Chanyeol faster.” Sehun tugged on Kyungsoo’s arm, leading her outside and around the stable to show her a high powered motorcycle parked there.

“Wh-“

“Dad bought it for me in the human world and taught me how to use it. He told me to keep it a secret from you though, but it’s all fueled up and ready to go.” Sehun grinned, giving a thumb up and handed his mother a helmet.

Kyungsoo quickly fastened the helmet on, “Just drop me off at the command center by the port and I’ll let this slide. You better run after this.”

Sehun nodded, kick-starting the engine and riding away with his mother. Kyungsoo couldn’t tell if it was faster this way but she knew what she had to do when they arrived at the command center by the cliff, where the sounds of returning cannon fires could be heard echoing and blasting away at each other.

Kyungsoo quickly took off the helmet and passed it back to Sehun, “Get away from here.”

“I will. Mom, please take care.” Sehun spoke out of concern, a slight hitch in his voice.

 

Kyungsoo frantically looked for Chanyeol around the port, asking all the scurrying soldiers running about to get to their positions and boarding the ships as the entire structure shook from the cannon fires. No one knew where he was, everyone was too alarmed about the relentless enemy fleet closing in on them.

“Ma'am. Here!” Kyungsoo saw Chanyeol’s scrawny but trustworthy fidgeting assistant run up to her. “Maam, I saw Sir going out to the cliffs. He was in the tower here earlier but an arrow from the enemy hit him in the leg and he said he would just confront the enemy on the beach when they make shore.”

“He went out to the cliffs?” Kyungsoo yelled.

Chanyeol’s assistant nodded. “Yes, ma'am. He told me to tell you he loved you.”

“That bastard. He’s planning to kill himself.” Kyungsoo shouted and immediately ran up to the cliffs overhead from the port.

She was tired already and low on energy to keep on running or rushing, but she had to because this could and might be the last time she ever did. She had to reach Chanyeol no matter what. Kyungsoo forced her legs to move, run and head there no matter what it would take her to do so. Kyungsoo ran down the length of the cliff until she could see Chanyeol’s figure standing there facing the sea.

 

“Chanyeol!” Kyungsoo screamed at the top of her voice.

Chanyeol, who had already accepted his impending demise, and was ready to jump off the cliff and fight any moment, had a change of heart when he heard Kyungsoo’s voice among the echoing of the cannons and the blowing of the wind.

 

With despair and fear in his body and soul, Chanyeol turned around to see Kyungsoo running up to him in her red cape and the sea breeze blowing her black hair. Chanyeol’s injured leg gave way and he fell to the grassy ground on the hilltop.

“Kyungsoo, you shouldn’t be here.” Chanyeol stammered in fear, his face scrunching up as Kyungsoo approached him and helped him sat up on the grass.

“No. You shouldn’t be here.” Kyungsoo mentioned, smiling, although there were tears forming in her eyes.

Chanyeol shook his head as he began to cry, pressing his face against Kyungsoo’s shoulder. “I failed.”

 

Kyungsoo hugged him so tight as if it would be the last time ever and everything fell silent for a moment around them. “No. You didn’t fail. You saved me.”

Kyungsoo pulled away from the hug and stood up on her feet, picking up the Holy Lance with her. Kyungsoo looked towards the horizon and the sea outstretched in front of her with the ships with white sails now approaching the shore.

Chanyeol could only look, unable to get up. The breeze from the sea sent Kyungsoo’s hair and cape fluttering around. The ominous yet significant crimson black in front of his eyes again. The two always went hand in hand when concerning Kyungsoo.

“Chanyeol”, Kyungsoo smiled, “My real name is Angela. Its funny isn’t it? A demon with a name meaning angel. I guess you were right and that I’ve always been different from other demons.

 

Kyungsoo tightened the grasp she had on the lance and took several steps back before running off and jumping down the cliff to finish the task she had been born for, to die and save everyone. Chanyeol saw the piercing and blinding flash of light and the loudest sound of the explosion which sent his ears ringing, sending him curling up on the ground and clutching his head from the pain of the light and sound.  Chanyeol could also feel the rush of air from the shockwave around his body, as he held himself so afraid he might just break there and then.

That was it. That was Kyungsoo destructing herself and killing herself off to save the world. Kyungsoo always talked about saving others and she meant it when she said it. Kyungsoo never meant it when she said she would save herself too.

“Angela”, Chanyeol repeated to himself and cried, hugging himself, losing all the strength in his body. This was what loss really felt like, Chanyeol thought to himself. Life already seemed empty and meaningless all of a sudden.

 

Chanyeol could not get up and passed out there on the grass under the open sky, shivering in pain and tears. That was until he felt someone slapping his cheek. Chanyeol roused and opened his eyes weakly to see Lucifer standing above him.

“I have two sons and they’re both equally useless.” Lucifer was seen shaking his head. “Kyungsoo should have been my daughter instead.”

“D-dad?” Chanyeol croaked, turning over to lay down on his back on the grass.

“Oh, now you call me dad? Get up, the battle is over. We won.” Lucifer lightly kicked Chanyeol at his side before actually helping him get up and walk.

“Where are we going?” Chanyeol spoke in his now hoarse from crying voice, with an arm around Lucifer’s shoulder as the latter helped him walk.

“Everyone is down by the beach. We’re going there.” Lucifer answered blankly before a few more people rushed up to them to help Chanyeol walk down to the beach.

 

 

Arriving at the beach, Chanyeol could see the wreckage and debris of the destroyed ships floating in the water and washing up ashore. There were also countless of bodies also in the water. The ships that remained in the water were of the military. No enemy ships were seen anywhere. The smell of death and wreckage filled the air and Chanyeol knew this was all because Kyungsoo had sacrificed herself for.

Ahead of him on the beach, Chanyeol saw a crowd of people surrounding something he couldn’t see. “What is that?” Chanyeol turned to Lucifer to ask.

“Why don’t you check it out?” Lucifer suggested.

Chanyeol limped to the crowd, who saw him and immediately fell silent, parting and giving way for him. In the crowd, Chanyeol could see the familiar faces of Baekhyun and Sehun who only looked at him with round eyes but not say anything.

 

Chanyeol made his way to the center of the crowd and saw what was Kyungsoo’s unconscious and limp body, her eyes closed and looking very peaceful despite everything. Chanyeol fell onto his knees on the sand and began sobbing out loud, pulling onto the buttons of her uniform.

“Excuse me? I was just closing my eyes. I’m tired and I need to rest.”

Chanyeol immediately stopped crying and shot his head up, looking at Kyungsoo who was staring back at him. “You’re not dead?”

“Last time I checked, dead people don’t talk.” Kyungsoo closed her eyes and rested her arms behind her head.

The entire crowd and everyone watching on began to laugh, including Chanyeol himself still kneeling on the sand.

Sehun, who was laughing, patted Chanyeol on the back, “We got you”.

Baekhyun chided in, laughing hard, “It was Kyungsoo’s idea actually but we at first thought she died too.”

 

Kyungsoo got up to hug Chanyeol, who too was laughing in tears. But this time, his tears were the ones that came with joy and not sorrow.

“Kyungsoo I know I never properly done this and I don’t have a ring and I’m literally on my knees here, but will you marry me?” Chanyeol finally proposed, smiling from ear to ear as the whole crowd cheered them on.

“You know I’ll always say yes”, she smiled fondly and lovingly.

This happiness was what they fought so painfully for.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :') There will be an epilogue coming soon. This is the final chapter but I guess the "real" ending comes later.  
> I personally thank you each and everyone for reading this. I appreciate your support very much. It was a fun ride.


	21. Epilogue

 

The first thing they did after coming home was to get Chan back with them. Chan was in good hands and although he was still too young to understand anything, he would grow up in a world significantly better than the one his parents and everyone who came before him did because of the sacrifice they had made.

The war ended that day on the beach when Kyungsoo gave her life to wipe out of the remaining forces of the separationist army who surrendered in defeat. Work did not stop there. Hell had to be rebuilt, the dead were honored, their families compensated and those guilty were put to trial for their misdeeds. Hell once again came out of a war where the demons maintained the domain over their land. If they ever lost, Hell would once fall again under the rule of Heaven.

By the time Kyungsoo returned to the capital city in Hell where she used to live, it was nearing winter and her favorite daisies had wilted. However, they were surprised their house actually survived the war intact after everyone expected it to be gone. Baekhyun and Kyungsoo simply stood at the entrance laughing hard until their jaws ached at that fact.

 

 

Jongin, for once, stood up to his father and confronted him for how he had treated Chanyeol and Kyungsoo as “disposable” weapons. Even if Jongin couldn’t come to fully like Chanyeol, he was still family and a victim too.

The demon king, of course, would never apologize and simply told Jongin that his compassion would probably make him a better king when the time came for him to.

 

 

Chanyeol certainly thought he would be disowned by his human family, but they did not. In fact, when he went to meet them and come clean about having left the clergy and having a son, they were more than eager to meet Kyungsoo and Chan. They even apologized for pushing Chanyeol to be a priest, although he did thank them for it. It was there where he found himself.

The only part Chanyeol couldn’t tell them about was knowing that he was adopted or regarding demons.  That was something they dealt with separately.

 

 

Chanyeol and Kyungsoo finally got married later that year in the fall, around the time they first met each other two years ago. Chanyeol had wanted a church wedding but didn’t want half the guests getting sick, and opted for a garden wedding which Kyungsoo agreed to also.

The wedding was attended by humans, demons and angels alike. Yixing and Tao too attended the wedding. Even Mrs. Choi, Chanyeol’s neighbor was invited and attended out of obligation, who sat there awkwardly in the crowd. Kyungsoo just liked to see the reaction on Mr. Choi’s face who still thought they were cousins marrying each other.

Jongdae was the minister who officiated the wedding while Minseok filled in as Chanyeol’s best man. Jongin and Baekhyun got into an argument of who would become Kyungsoo’s maid of honor, Baekhyun insisting that only a woman should be but Jongin saying that it didn’t matter. Kyungsoo eventually chose both of them.

Kris had to cancel his plans of getting drunk even before the ceremony when he realized he wanted to be sober and remember walking Kyungsoo walking down the aisle. Both Kyungsoo’s sons, Chan and Sehun were the ring bearers for the ceremony too.

Suho, it turned out seemed to have a lot in common with Chanyeol’s mother and the two in-laws became good friends. Suho personally apologized to Chanyeol, now that she realized he loved Kyungsoo as much and wasn’t there to hurt her.

 

The entire BBQ outlet was booked for the wedding reception, a rather unusual place to have one but no one complained anyway and it mattered most that they were all happy there and together. Kyungsoo, of course, demanded they served a vegetarian meal for that occasion.

 

After getting married, Chanyeol and Kyungsoo decided to stay in Seoul for a few years before deciding on where to live next. Demons had to move around every few years because people would begin to question their non-changing appearance and significantly slow aging.

The couple moved back into Chanyeol’s apartment and bought a car for him to use instead of his bicycle. Chanyeol found out that the bag pack he had left behind on the river bank when he was pulled into the Hell Gate by Kyungsoo had been mailed back to him by the person who found it. Chanyeol had left an address and contact information on the tag of the bag. In it, he found the scarf that Kyungsoo gave to him for Christmas which he thought he had lost.

Chanyeol and Kyungsoo mostly worked in Hell but came back to the human world on a daily basis to live there. Chanyeol also had a part-time job tutoring the children in Minseok’s orphanage where he too once grew up and continued to be a part of the Black Order.

The Holy Cross Order had actually tried contacting Chanyeol to ask him if he would like to join the priesthood again. Chanyeol politely refused. He may have been committed to being a priest, but now his commitment lied elsewhere.

 

 

It was another windy night which looked like it might rain any moment. Kyungsoo was standing on the edge of a tall building, one of the many in the skyline of Seoul. As usual, she was wearing her crimson cape with nothing underneath, and her dark hair blowing in the wind.

Chanyeol was sitting by the ledge, fixing the lace on Kyungsoo’s boot, “Be careful at work tonight.”

“I will. You take care too.” Kyungsoo smiled back.

Chanyeol stood up, towering over her, “Say, Kyungsoo. I’ve always been meaning to ask. Why didn’t’ you die that day at the beach? I thought that would kill you for sure. Of course, I wouldn’t you to die or anything but it makes me curious.”

“Honestly I thought I would die myself. I didn’t expect to you know-wake up.” Kyungsoo added, “-but I heard this voice saying ‘sacrifice brings forth the blessing of heaven’ while I was unconscious and woke me up on that beach. Baekhyun did say I wasn’t breathing when they found me.”

“You think it’s God that helped us?” Chanyeol nipped on his lower lip in thought.

“God has got to be a sadist then.” Kyungsoo chuckled, shaking her head and reaching up to plant a kiss on Chanyeol’s cheek. “I’ll be off then.”

Chanyeol smiled, “Do your thing. I’ll see you later tonight.”

Kyungsoo disappeared with the wind in the shade of crimson black. They were all happy.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll miss this too but I couldn't be more glad :')  
> Thank you, everyone, so much too for making it this far with me. You are great <3


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